A Master of Perception Arrives in Margate
The Turner Contemporary in Margate is currently hosting an invigorating and magical exhibition dedicated to one of Britain's most singular artists. Bridget Riley: Learning to See presents a potent ensemble of 26 works, showcasing the artist's journey from the 1960s to the present day. This focused exhibition proves that sometimes a smaller, more curated show can be far more effective than a sprawling retrospective, sharpening the eye and concentrating the mind on the pure act of seeing.
An Immersive Sensory Experience
Riley's paintings possess an immediate and arresting power. They hit the viewer all at once, creating a sense of stillness before gradually revealing their intricate complexities. The longer one looks, the more the works seem to shift and change, creating a deeply rewarding and almost physical experience. The exhibition cleverly shuttles between large canvases, intimate studies, and dynamic works painted directly onto the gallery walls.
One of the standout pieces is the monumental wall drawing, Dancing to the Music of Time, created in 2022. As you approach, the colours initially appear dun-coloured, but soon each painted disc begins to glow with a silvery penumbra, captivating the gaze. Another wall drawing, Angel, evokes the stately, inevitable simplicity of a phrase by composer Erik Satie, demonstrating Riley's complete control of rhythm and form.
Playing with Space and Time
At 94 years old, Bridget Riley demonstrates an unparalleled mastery over the viewer's perception of space and time. The exhibition makes you acutely aware of your own body moving through the gallery—where you stand, how you step back, and how your eyes travel from one work to another. Her art is not a passive experience; it is a dynamic interaction.
Older works like Arrest 3 from 1965 envelop the viewer in a wave-like, perfectly calibrated rhythm, while Streak 3 from 1980 pulls the eye across complex, curving coloured lines that flow together and apart. In the recent painting Pharaoh, the close-packed verticals are punctuated by eight white pauses, creating moments where the viewer instinctively holds their breath before stepping back, quite literally, to gasp for air.
Her latest Current paintings introduce serpentine rhythms and a sense of looking through a distorting lens, where patterns proliferate less on the canvas and more within the viewer's own mind. The exhibition runs at Turner Contemporary, Margate, from 22 November to 4 May, offering a unique opportunity to engage with the work of an artist whose contribution to the art of our time only grows more significant.
