Tim Walker: Wonderful Things Exhibition
From the Condé Nast library, to Exeter, to New York, Tim Walker is a quick story of rising success that by the age of 25 he was published amongst the pages of Vogue. Since he has received a string of awards and publications across the years which has branded him as a pioneer in the industry.
It is not only for his amazing talent at capturing a moment but creating them that he is recognised for– foregoing digital creations and the social media sphere but choosing to make his wildest imagination a reality instead. The idea of making every single set, props, and special effect by hand is something most wouldn’t imagine in this modern-day, this has made Walker a rare talent. With tools such as photoshop being so readily accessible it is refreshing to see an artwork that doesn’t take short-cuts.
As the doors open for Tim Walker’s new exhibition at the V&A, Wonderful Things is an opportunity to witness his work first-hand. While originally set-off four years ago as an appreciation to the vast collections of the V&A, it has become a love-letter to life itself. The exhibition space is divided into 10 projects each with a different theme celebrating nudity in a blush coloured room, while another takes you to a nostalgic yellow room of a country house, and are even faced with a dark forest of your imagination with its own dragon.
The only regret I have of this exhibition is to not be able to experience this through the eyes of a child, as the concept of each photograph seems to be inspired from such a pure, unfiltered lens of fantasy. Each project is paired with objects from the V&A’s main collection in perfect symbiosis which fully immerse you into each photograph.
If it were not enough, you’ll find records of his working journals scattered within the exhibition which highlights his poetic thought process but also his positive outlook on life. “Ends are always followed by beginnings, Something new could start now right here!”. While simple, the quote sprawled across a larger than life notebook defines Tim Walker’s work ethic.
The exhibition Tim Walker: Wonderful Things, curated by the V&A’s Susanna Brown and designed by Shona Heath, runs from 21 September 2019 to 8 March 2020.
