How are you? How was your day? Would you like a cup of tea? Questions we ask every day. So many questions, all of them important in one way or another. But what are the biggest questions in your life? When we talk to one another, progress is made, problems are solved, and heartache is lifted.
After all, they say that a problem shared is a problem solved. Many of us require a catalyst to cause certain conversations, whether that be an overload of emotion, the prompt from a loved one, or a significant event. Or, in fact, a question.
Art can cause conversation in the form of contemplative exploration. It can be a source of inspiration, not just to other creatives, but to all viewers, prompting internal thinking or externally sharing on various worldly topics. Through stirring strong emotions and educating, art can be the catalyst for vast social change, bringing communities together and harbouring inspiration for a better and changed future.
The art of the Sainsbury Centre is able to help reframe and answer the most important questions in their lives. It is not a museum to only learn more about artists, cultures or movements like Francis Bacon, the Tang Dynasty or Modernism, it is a place of experience, where collections are animate and visitors are emotionally connected. You are invited to touch Henry Moore’s Mother and Child sculpture, embrace her, hug her.
As you close your eyes, you are asked to remember your first memory of people embraced as a child. How did that feel? W.