We consider the latest exhibition of Corinne Day's work, a candid celebration of friendship
Who? Three years after her untimely death, the work of legendary photographer Corinne Day returns to the spotlight in a new exhibition at the Gimpels Fil Gallery in London.
What? Entitled May the Circle Remain Unbroken, and curated by the artist's long-term partner Mark Szaszy, the display documents and celebrates the enduring friendships that Day instigated through her early work, many of which remained intact over 20 years. Szaszy and Day's Soho flat was a welcoming hub of activity where friends, models and muses frequently merged with delightfully aesthetic results. Full of life, laughter and affection, the works pay wonderful testament to Day's pioneering ability to capture her contemporaries with a documentary-like ease, making it impossible to distinguish between what is staged from what is real. A topless, Bowie-esque girl in metallic trousers lounges in front of a television; a long-haired boy in vivid orange socks attempts to mount a fence; a colourfully-cardiganned grandmother waves a birthday sparkler; a beautiful girl in a red polo neck reclines on a green sheet. Whether pensive or playful, the mood of Day's work is always candid and tangible in a way that can't help but draw you in.
Why? The images are of particular interest in that they provide a rare example of Day's early output, and have never before been displayed. Happily for Day fans, a new publication (of the same title and edited by Szaszy) will accompany the show, documenting Day's development from the early to mid nineties, the first work since her iconic, autobiographical book Diary in 2002. Meanwhile, for those looking to purchase first editions of Diary, copies are now available through LN-CC, completing a time of renewed celebration of Day and her extraordinary career.
May the Circle Remain Unbroken is at the Gimpels Fil Gallery until 23 November.
Text by Daisy Woodward