Admiring People Admiring Arts: Inside Tate Modern

This is my collection of photographs of people admiring artworks in different museums we have visited.

QUIET, CHAOS. A woman appreciating a busy mural by André Fougeron. (ARTWORK: Atlantic Civilisation, André Fougeron, 1953)

No, I am not bored and most definitely not a creep.

Watching people looking at art exhibits in a museum feels like I am witnessing a big unchoreographed art performance. It’s interesting to see how one person would react to a painting or how one sculpture could make a person feel something. The squinting of their eyes, the clutching of their chest, or the way the edge of their lips would curve say a lot about how an art piece emotionally affects them.

Visiting Tate Modern, London’s impressive museum of international modern and contemporary art, I was able to snap some photos of people admiring its collection. Used to be a power station situated on the South Bank of River Thames, the museum with more than a thousand arts on display has attracted more than 40 million people since it opened its doors in 2000 and has become one of UK’s top three tourist destinations.

QUICK, LOOK. A woman taking a glance while passing by a Joseph Beuys image. (ARTWORK: Beuys at the New School, Joseph Beuys, 1974)

JUST YOU AND I. A woman intently staring at a photograph of Joseph Beuys, a German Fluxus. (ARTWORK: Beuys at the New School, Joseph Beuys, 1974)

INTO IT. A woman reading the description of Bern Becher and Hilla Becher’s black and white photographs. (ARTWORK: Blast Furnaces, Bernd Becher and Hilla Becher, 1969–95)

BECOMING MARILYN. Schoolgirls learning art the Andy Warhol way. (ARTWORK: Marilyn Diptych, Andy Warhol, 1962)

BESTIES. Two boys taking a photo of Beatriz González’s Interior Decoration. (ARTWORK: Interior Decoration, Beatriz González, 1981)

WNDR FACTS:

This enormous museum used to be the former Backside Power Station, which is almost the same size as Westminster Abbey. With the addition of the Switch House, a twisting, angular extension building, the gallery’s space increased by 60%. Tate Modern has a total internal floor area of 34,500 square meters, so make sure to prepare yourself for a lot of walking.

POP. Whaam! A woman staring at the details of Roy Lichtenstein’s signature art style. (ARTWORK: Whaam! Roy Lichtenstein, 1963)

BLUR. A teenager wandering into Hito Steyerl’s art installation. (ARTWORK: How Not to Be Seen: A Fucking Didactic Educational .MOV File, Hito Steyerl, 2013)

RADIO TOWER. A granny mesmerised by the height of Cildo Meireles’s art installation. (ARTWORK: Babel, Cildo Meireles, 2001)

WHO?! WHAT?! A woman in front of Barbara Kruger’s massive art piece. (ARTWORK: Who owns what? Barbara Kruger, 2012)

HORDE. Visitors inside a room full of Louise Bourgeois’s collection of artworks. (ARTWORK: SINGLE II, Louise Bourgeois, 1996) (ARTWORK: Spider, Louise Bourgeois, 1994) (ARTWORK: 10 AM IS WHEN YOU COME TO ME, Louise Bourgeois, 2006)

WNDR TIP:

When you’re in the Blavatnik Building, look for the dedicated lift in Level 0 to get to the viewing terrace on the top floor. It has the most stunning 360-degree view of the London Skyline. You can enjoy some drinks and snacks while being mesmerised by a very Instagram-worthy scenery. Don’t forget to snap a photo of St. Paul’s Cathedral dome across the River Thames.

BY THE WINDOW. A Tate Modern staff attending to Louise Bourgeois’s Spider and other art pieces. (ARTWORK: Spider, Louise Bourgeois, 1994)

HANGING. Visitors staring at Louise Bourgeois’s art installation. (ARTWORK: Legs Louise, Bourgeois, 2001)

RED. A woman amazed by the hanging red legs. (ARTWORK: Legs, Louise Bourgeois, 2001)

I CALLED THEM GIANT POOP. A woman sketching the Embryology artwork of Magdalena Abakanowicz. (ARTWORK: Embryology, Magdalena Abakanowicz, 1978–80)

MESMERISED. A woman stopped and got mesmerised by Mark Bradfor’s artwork. (ARTWORK: Los Moscos, Mark Bradford, 2004)

WNDR FACTS:

It is because of a man named Henry Tate, a 19th century sugar merchant from Liverpool, that the Tate Galleries exist. He donated his collection of contemporary paintings to the government plus a huge amount of money worth £80,000. He is the one who introduced the sugar cubes in the UK, the Tate & Lyle sugar cubes, which are still available in supermarkets.

GLAM. A woman taking a picture of this full body portrait. (ARTWORK: Portrait of a Young Woman, Meredith Frampton, 1935)

WHAT’S THE STORY? A woman reading the description of Wilfredo Lam’s huge artwork. (ARTWORK: The Eternal Present, Wilfredo Lam, 1944)

BLURRED. LINES. A Tate Modern staff passing by Bridget Riley’s art piece. (ARTWORK: Evoë 3, Bridget Riley, 2003)

SPOTLIGHT. A man quietly staring at Olafur Eliasson’s art installation. (ARTWORK: Yellow versus Purple Olafur, Eliasson, 2003)

IN THE MIDST OF IT ALL. My handsome date for that day in the middle of all these wonderful modern art collection. (ARTWORK: THE CITY OF THE CIRCLE AND THE SQUARE, Sir Eduardo Paolozzi, 1963 and 1966) (ARTWORK: Atlantic Civilisation, André Fougeron, 1953)

WNDR TIP:

Most of the exhibits are free! Visit this gorgeous museum at Bankside, London, open everyday from 10.00 to 18.00 Sundays to Thursdays and 10.00 to 22.00 Fridays to Saturdays. Always check Tate Modern’s website (https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern) for new exhibitions and more information.