Radical Slowness

Tony Magnusson, The Saturday Paper, April 2, 2022

Italy’s slow-food movement emerged in the late 1980s before going global. It opposed the uber-industrialisation of food and agricultural production, advocating a return to traditional regional cooking using local, seasonal ingredients. It has since spawned a wider movement that embraces everything from fashion to philosophy, television to travel.

 

A group show at Newcastle’s The Lock-Up considers the virtues of slowness from an artistic point of view. Curated by Anna May Kirk and Tai Mitsuji, Radical Slowness encompasses nine exhibits, the majority installations. They have been thoughtfully placed throughout the heritage building, which formed part of Newcastle Police Station until 1982, including holding cells with vintage graffiti on the walls (“I love you Melissa”; “Steve Smith 10 Days”).

 

The curators conceive of slowness as “a space for critical reflection”, writing in the exhibition handout: “In all of the artworks the invisible solvent of time is afforded a shape and substance.”

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