Sutapa Biswas at Newlyn and The Exchange Gallery

 Sutapa Biswas at Newlyn and The Exchange Gallery, Penzance,  October 8 to Jan 7 2023.

I remember in the eighties when feminist art was thriving that Sutapa Biswas had her painting  ‘housewives with steak knives’ in a published book and was evidently on the up as an artist.
I was involved with Brixton Women’s work and Woman’s Eye in north London. Women were attending consciousness raising  groups. Women teachers demanded to be allowed to wear trousers at work. There were protests about beauty contests.

 I wanted to like Sutapa Biswas’ latest work and eagerly drove to see it.

At Newlyn downstairs were  some large stills from the film that was projected on the end wall of the big upstairs gallery. The walls had been painted a dark colour specially.
‘Lumen’ is a thirty minute work but seems longer and I was so glad I had some chocolate with me.
It’s about colonialism in India and the artist’s family. The words are spoken by an attractive actress much younger than Biswas and I thought she took up too much time on screen and could have been on the soundtrack.

Most unfortunately the sound was not clear.
It’s a poetic piece and the story is obscure with mention of a crow but no crows visible.
There are old clips of English colonialists and photos of Indian fishermen.
I thought it could usefully have been edited after people were consulted to check if it’s meaning was communicated.

Over at the Exchange there are several more videos, some double screens but some oddly showing the same image on both. There are no captions.

There is a block of paintings of birds which are nice but not remarkable.

There is a beautifully made catalogue about the artist’s whole oeuvre.

The best part of my visits to both galleries was the conversations I had before I left with the interesting and helpful workers at the admission desks.

One was very keen to say that artists are presenting stuff and you can take it or leave it and it’s all subjective.

Well I think it’s ok to air a subjective response and personal disappointment on this occasion and hope Sutapa Biswas will clarify what she is doing and make a greater impact in future.
It’s very hard to get what’s in your head out into art and make it vivid and compelling.
Her early paintings did this and maybe her next work will be more lively and memorable.