Event detail
Mary Barnes in Kingsley Hall
Mary Barnes
A major retrospective exhibition of the work of Mary Barnes.
In 1965 radical psychiatrist R.D. Laing co-founded an experimental therapeutic community at Kingsley Hall in Bow, East London. Presenting herself on the brink of a serious mental breakdown, Mary Barnes (1923-2001) was Kingsley Hall’s first resident. Under the guidance of Laing and his colleague Joseph Berke, Barnes underwent a near total behavioural regression. Refusing to eat, dress or wash, she was in her own words “going down.”
Around this time she produced her first artwork – a pair of black breasts painted on the wall of her room in her own shit.
This exhibition presents painting, drawing, sculpture and writing produced by Barnes between 1965 and the late 90s alongside an extensive archive of documents, films, audio recordings and photographs relating to her work and the legacy of R.D. Laing’s thought.
Please join us after the opening for a get together hosted by SPACE, FormContent and Am Nuden Da (further details to be announced).
MARY BARNES is kindly supported by The Elephant Trust and The Mercers Foundation.
http://www.spacestudios.org.uk
