In the age of smartphones and social media accounts like @subwaycreatures, or @overheardlondon, there’s a certain kind of intrigue that is conjured up by seeking to understand the strangers in our surrounding world. The desire to understand those different to us becomes tactile—by way of short term plans: “lets get coffee and people watch.” This ongoing fixation is prompted by our ever-expanding attempts to interpret and understand the “the other” as they buffer against our individual, unique realities. This comes down to how we subconsciously—or otherwise, try to understand those different to us (even if the only knowable difference in that moment is the sheer space between).
This notion comes to a head in the curation and presentation of “People Watching: Illustrating Hampstead”—an exhibition that took place on November 26 at Hampstead Community Centre. Showcasing independent artist Roberta Paladino’s unique gaze upon the area, this introspective collection was curated by Central Saint Martins alumnus Diego Fernandez Alvarez del Castillo. Both non-local to Hampstead, either Artist and Curator found common ground in their passing connection to this borough and its people in London.
This exhibition presents attendees with a crossroads: What does it mean to be an outsider looking in, while also an insider looking out? That is one of the original questions prompted by the exhibition, framing the display of 64 original works, inspired by the act of deep meaningful observation. The interplay between representation and interpretation of the people encountered by the artist is a direct result from Roberta’s personal reading of urban scenes. The artist has spent considerable time in the area, swimming on the famous Lido, walking the Heath, and spending hours on end at the multiple cafes found in Hampstead. The exhibition triumphed in showcasing Roberta’s exclusive gaze and point of view of NW3, exploring her evolution as an artist as she captured the ever-changing topic across seven years of dedicated work.
The collection presented a pathway into a rare, fresh, and original manifestation of Hampstead and its people. A testimony of modern life, of locals. It is a device for self-introspection and storytelling… A deep reflection between the artist’s world, her subjects, medium, and process and the perpetuation of the statement that art is a fundamental part of human life: “Inspired by the beauty she encounters by accident and the beauty she chooses to extrapolate and immortalise in textured paper.”
There is something near dire, about the potential of a curator-to-artist relationship. In order for the story to be told as the artist sees it, the curator must have a sharp eye for detail, as well as a dedicated case for understanding the messaging the artist wishes to present to the world. Curator Diego Fernandez Alvarez del Castillo, delivered exactly that. Over the last two years he’s built a powerful bond with the artist. Working alongside her practise, helping her edit an upcoming illustration book, observing and actively engaging with her work on a regular basis, all whilst having the opportunity to closely interact with her thought and artistic processes. Not only this, he’s even been depicted by the artist on multiple occasions. This exhibition swiftly became an opportunity to frame and contextualize Roberta’s work, showcasing her talent upon a well-built frame of hard-fought art theory and academia.
Diego’s curatorial approach to Roberta’s art was also directly inspired by the concept of “La Dérive” by Guy Debord, and the modern much-explored concept of the “Third Space” as conceived by sociologist Ray Oldenburg. This theory explains how places like cafes, public parks, and such spaces in urban contexts constitute a vital thing in people’s lives. Not only this, but the way we as humans live and experience the world in community and as part of integrated functioning societies, which is exactly what Hampstead had grown to function as for the artist.
Castillo presented the exhibition in four distinct sections: One exploring Roberta’s unique gaze and her practice as an observer, storyteller, and illustrator, featuring a comic-like series of works that talked about being a hospitality worker in the area. The second and largest section contextualized Roberta’s vision as a flâneuse, observing the people around her, capturing herself and others on the Heath. It focused on diverse pictorial techniques, materials, and illustration practices including watercolors, ink, and colored pencil. The third showcased Hampstead as a “third space,” mainly illustrations done of the Heath, the Lido, and the cafes featuring enlarged portraits and mixed media collages.
Finally, the centerpiece and the artist’s most recent body of work, was displayed on a table in the middle of the gallery space as a series of 28 white postcards depicting single characters. This collection of work was arranged in a dynamic, almost cinematic motif. The section was meant to portray how a busy street filled with characters could not only look, but feel. Thus harkening back to the original concept for the entire exhibition: People Watching. The centerpiece was complete alongside a small table with the actual sketchbooks, materials, and pencils of the artist—highlighting the process with which her work inevitably comes together. In a pointed full circle moment, the artist herself sat during the exhibition. There, she spent a few moments illustrating the people in attendance.
The evening was met by locals, friends, family, and the extended community of Hampstead Community Centre. Proving that the things we choose to represent and illustrate matter, presenting a clear reflection of why it’s important to seek understanding of the world around us. Community is not only those like us, but those we may know in time, or merely know for a fleeting moment—a short term exchange. Leaving behind yet another testament of our shared, but vastly different human experiences, as we walk this earth.
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Words: Lauren Bulla
Photographer: Polina Kravcjenko