Portraits of Adventure? - Royal Geographical Society Posted on July 29th
Over the weekend I managed to make my way over to 1 Kensington Gore and the iconic site of the Royal Geographical Society. The very place Burton, Speke, Livingstone and Baker all lectured, argued with and occasionally received grants from.
The reason? The new photography exhibition - Portraits of Adventure. Now, I headed to this exhibition with high hopes thanks to the lead photo on promotional material being Kingsley Holgate.
I was underwhelmed to say the least!
It started well. An amazing photo of the RGS 150th Anniversary Expedition to Northern Pakistan. There was the obligatory Ran Fiennes portrait. Even a bloke named Chris Richards who walked around Australia’s harsh interior with himself and 4 camels for company. Then it happened.
First it was that lovely old lady, the Queen, smiling out from a Land Rover. Ok. Next it was the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher showing a lot of leg getting into, you guessed it, a Land Rover. I was beginning to have my doubts. Then there was a Tintin print. If anyone epitomises adventure, then this young reporter does. Back on track. But then they lost me forever. A paparazzi shot of David Beckham driving away in, can you believe it…a Range Rover. WTF?
I am sorry. I appreciate adventure encompasses many spheres. I dug the shot of Winston Churchill (in front of a Land Rover!) and even got my head around the 10 metre high portrait of Claire Bertschinger (she became known world over during a BBC report of the 1984 Ethiopian famine as a young nurse having to play god and decide which children would receive food). But, come on, Outkast? Jonsi Birgisson from the Icelandic band Sigur Ros? It’s a definite no!
What is going on here? By what stretch of anyone’s definition can Beckham, Outkast, the Queen etc be considered to encapsulate the spirit of adventure? Then it all clicked. Every photo followed a common theme. Each photo either prominently displayed or had reference to…Land Rover! You are kidding right?
The whole exhibition to me was a disappointment. There were shining lights, including Bindi Irwin (yes, a stretch I know but her old man was adventure all over), Wong How Man, the Chinese explorer/adventurer and Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space. But, these were overshadowed by the likes of Beckham et al.
The display was put on by can you believe, Land Rover? Land Rover provides support to the RGS through funding some of it’s grants as well a fronting up with some really nice 4WDs. I guess this is what they get in return, a marketing campaign disguised as a photographic exhibition. I do understand the position the RGS is in. They must make certain concessions in order to continue doing the great work they do.
I will admit, I am a bit of a snob when it comes to defining adventure, but I do keep my mind open to all interpretations of it. Whether that is a weekend in Wales or a first ascent in the Karakorum. The Portraits of Adventure photographic exhibition tries hard, but falls well short of the mark I am afraid.
Definitely check it out if you are in the area. As I mentioned there are some standouts. Particularly the 10-metre high portraits outside and the green area where you can chill out in the RGS grounds. To think, this is where some of the world’s greatest explorers lectured and came to chill out themselves.
Check out the RGS website at www.rgs.org.
