What a New Falmouth Exhibition Reveals About Who We Are

Works by some of the most recognised names in modern and contemporary art have landed in Falmouth, brought together around a question everyone has asked themselves at some point. Who am I?

Falmouth Art Gallery has opened ‘Mirrors: Reflecting on Identity’, a new exhibition built around major loans and works by internationally significant artists. It runs until 26 September, and admission is free.

What the exhibition is about

The show pulls together paintings, photographs and mixed-media works spanning the last century through to the present day. The thread running through all of it is identity, and how each of us works out who we are and how we want the world to see us.

The works invite a few questions that touch most lives. What shapes our identity? How do we present ourselves to the world? And how do our experiences shape the people we become?

Some of the artists turn to self-portraits to share something personal. Others step into different characters and personas, picking apart ideas about appearance and expectation. Put side by side, the works show how identity shifts and changes across a lifetime. Themes of appearance, belonging and self-expression run throughout.

📷Edie by Sarah Ball, oil on canvas, 2023, Collection of the Artist

The artists on show

The lineup is wide. It includes Sarah Ball, Claude Cahun, Ithell Colquhoun, Gluck, Naomi Frears, Maggi Hambling, Diane Ibbotson, Kirsty Latoya, Marco Livingstone, Ken Nwadiogbu, Grayson Perry, SHARP, Cindy Sherman and Henry Scott Tuke, among others.

The exhibition has been made possible by loans from artists, private collectors and a set of significant institutions: the National Portrait Gallery, The Mead Gallery, the Ruth Borchard Collection, The Roberts Institute of Art and the Victoria Art Gallery.

Talks, workshops and Falmouth Week

There is a programme of events running alongside the exhibition.

Professor Amy de la Haye will give a talk at 6.30pm on 10 July, looking at the carefully constructed dressed appearances of the artist Gluck. A second talk, on Claude Cahun, is planned for the evening of Friday 4 September and will examine Claude’s pioneering work in identity, self-portraiture and performance. Tickets for both can be booked through the gallery website.

Families have free Saturday workshops to get stuck into, inspired by the exhibition, along with self-led activities in the gallery including an activity sheet and a portrait station.

And during Falmouth Week, the gallery will run a range of activities on The Moor tied to the exhibition, giving residents and visitors more ways to take part.

📷I, Ken by Ken Nwadiogbu, charcoal and acrylic on canvas, 2021, Ruth Borchard Collection

What the gallery says

Donna Westlake, Access and Interpretation Manager at Falmouth Art Gallery, said the show is meant to be open to everyone.

“This exhibition is for everyone. We all have a sense of who we are and how we fit into the world, and the artworks in Mirrors open up fascinating conversations about those experiences. Whether you’re a regular visitor or have never been to the gallery before, we hope you’ll find something that sparks curiosity, reflection or discussion. Thank you to all of the lenders and artists for making this exhibition possible.”

Falmouth Art Gallery is owned and operated by Falmouth Town Council.

Visiting

‘Mirrors: Reflecting on Identity’ is at Falmouth Art Gallery, Municipal Buildings, The Moor, Falmouth TR11 2RT. It is open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm, until 26 September. Admission is free.

📷Gluck by Gluck, oil on canvas, 1942, © National Portrait Gallery, London