Britain's What's On Event Guide
The Shakespeare Portraits
StageBlock and Red 8 Gallery will open the inaugural exhibition with The Shakespeare Portraits (Vol. I), an innovative, world-first, collection of ten living portraits of some of our greatest Shakespearean actors, who have left an indelible mark on film, theatre and our cultural landscape. Including Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Derek Jacobi, Harriet Walter, and more, each living portrait has been created in collaboration with its sitter.
Each living portrait fuses frozen moments of traditional portraiture with performance and modern cinematography, and all are augmented by the powerful brushstrokes of Shakespeare’s language. Each seemingly endless moving portrait strives to capture the sitter’s true spirit, essence, and human vulnerability, to create a deeply intimate connection with the viewer. Accompanied by a speech chosen in collaboration with the sitter and willed into existence by the viewer, the artworks showcase the actor’s unique and personal connection to the text - whether it be a career-defining role or a long-aspired-to part. The result is a timeless and captivating visual experience, celebrating each actor and the shared legacy that connects fans, digital art and portraiture enthusiasts, and generations of Shakespeare audiences.
Each living portrait fuses frozen moments of traditional portraiture with performance and modern cinematography, and all are augmented by the powerful brushstrokes of Shakespeare’s language. Each seemingly endless moving portrait strives to capture the sitter’s true spirit, essence, and human vulnerability, to create a deeply intimate connection with the viewer. Accompanied by a speech chosen in collaboration with the sitter and willed into existence by the viewer, the artworks showcase the actor’s unique and personal connection to the text - whether it be a career-defining role or a long-aspired-to part. The result is a timeless and captivating visual experience, celebrating each actor and the shared legacy that connects fans, digital art and portraiture enthusiasts, and generations of Shakespeare audiences.
Red 8 Gallery, The Royal Exchange, 9 Cornhill, London EC3V 3LR
Mon 18 Nov to Fri 6 December