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T H E A R T S
9
Exhibition Review:
Postcards at the
British Museum
Victoria Morgan-Couch represented Bancroft’s in the 2019 ARTiculation Prize, with her talk on the
Tracey Emin postcard ‘Sad Shower in NewYork’ which won 1st place at the London Regional Heat at the
Whitechapel
Gallery.Atthe London Final held at the National Gallery, she was awarded 3rd place. Her
personal review of the British Museum’s exhibition ‘TheWorld Exists To Be Put On A Postcard: Artists’
Postcards from 1960 to now’ appeared on the ARTiculation website.
Before I set foot in the British Museum’s exhibition of postcards taken from the collection of
the auctioneer Jeremy Cooper, I struggled to imagine what I would be faced with.A global expanse
of postcards from across continents to showcase experiences I could never even dream about?
A selection of cards that had no cohesion, proving just how large this ‘world’ really is? Or perhaps
a smaller selection, some token favourites, to exhibit the microcosmic sensation of the individual’s
‘world’?With these ideas in mind, the attempt to showcase the energy of a domestic home was
not what I had expected.
What it lacked in personality it made up in archaic essence,
displaying the cards in a manner perhaps more suited to that of
ancient artefacts, a choice that befitted the presentation of the
collection from the point of view of movements and politics,
creating structure and a certain ease of viewing. As a self-
proclaimed hoarder of postcards, I felt that this strategy strayed
from the point of postcards as things to be handled, touched and
received.This was obvious when viewing those cards that had been
sent out as invitations to events, creating an atmosphere, albeit
informative, devoid of life.This was understandable in the terms of
practicality for a temporary display, yet felt entirely impersonal. If
my own cards were to be displayed in the form of ‘a collection’, I
would hope that a life of experience, travel and beauty would be
seen from the moment viewing began. Nevertheless, as there was
a mention in the description of a focus on ‘[highlighting] political
and social issues’, it should be noted that the structured approach
aided in a simpler understanding of these topics; moreover, the
informative nature of this form of display added to the ‘world’
feel which was largely due to the recognition of the global reach
of movements such as feminism, fluxus and performance art.This
contributed to the idea of the postcards as a snapshot of a life
lived, and perhaps my critique of the formality of the display could
possibly be flipped when viewing it as an effort to romanticise the
life of an individual by displaying each moment behind a screen
(this may be due to my own personal inclinations).
The ‘Collection of Mr and Mrs L. M. Kane, 2009’ illustrated that
idea of romanticism, with their own personal effects in postcard
form having been ‘professionally photographed against a black
background to resemble objects from a museum’, capturing the
intimacy of human connection that I expected. I believe postcards
to be almost akin to family photos.They should remind you
of what you experienced on that day and how you felt in that
moment, like listening to an old favourite song. Maybe one’s own
‘world’ is captured on the back, in a message from a loved one?
When looking at a postcard that depicted Mr and Mrs L. M. Kane
meeting Pope John Paul II, I was reminded of the relationship I
believe postcards have with the consumer.
Cooper’s focus on the inexpensive nature of postcards in
comparison with traditionally recognised pieces of ‘art’ was an
important discovery that heightened the idea of the ‘world existing’
for a postcard: everyone should be able to experience that
‘world’ for only a nominal fee.This added to the understanding of
Cooper as an individual, rejecting the elitist world of art collectors
and making a statement by donating his collection of cards as
his version of art and so leaning away from a capitalist approach
to appreciation of culture, politics and society that is commonly
implied by the possession of an extensive ‘traditional art collection’.
This was the first major museum exhibition surrounding postcards
as ‘works of art in their own right’, and I am hopeful that something
of greater immersion and scale is possible in the future. Jeremy
Cooper, albeit fascinating, is only one person, and thus the title of
the installation seems slightly hyperbolic and is more akin to the
microcosm of an individual’s world. However, if the original aim
of the exhibition was to view a world as encapsulated through
postcards then I believe introducing the collections of others in a
following exhibition may be the next step in increasing the overall
appreciation for what a collection of postcards can really mean to
any individual.
Victoria Morgan-Couch, U6E