by Asya Mukhamedrakhimova
MKH digital plubication © 2025
by Asya Mkh
Category Art
Published November 29, 2024
Time Travelling Through Tate Modern’s ‘Art and Photography’ Exhibit

Lozenge Composition With Yellow, Black, Red, and Grey, by Piet Mondrian

Although time travel, an admittedly cool concept, hasn’t been invented yet (wishfully emphasising the word yet), it doesn’t mean we can’t experience the magic of traveling back in time. Everything from books to art and movies is a trip back to an age when the work was first created. Artists watch history unfold and portray their experiences in their work. Years later, we, the audience, experience that history, from their perspective, over again, pulling back the curtain on whatever age their art depicts. So, if art is a form of time travel, galleries are curated trips back in time. Time travel with an itinerary.

Walking through a gallery, we experience history at hyper-speed, moving from one age to another. Recently, I was one of those travellers. Now, I will recite my own experience with some added thoughts. So you get to move through time as I move through it. Then, years from now, maybe someone will read this and travel back to my time to experience me experiencing history. That’s kind of cool if you think about it.

Let’s start by saying that I did not plan on going to this exhibit in the first place; I was wandering around Tate Modern, going through the rooms, and as I got up to the third floor, the title ‘Capturing the Moment’ intrigued me. Pretty simple title, of course, but I’m a sucker for exhibits that warp themselves in ambiguity, and I had some time to kill. So I paid my £20 entrance fee (a bit of a ridiculous amount to see some art) and my trip began.

I explored how different artists dealt with the changing ways of portraying the world and creating images in the wake of photography taking over capturing the moment. Apart from the beautiful art and thoughtfully written descriptions, the exhibit featured quotes from various artists over time, making me feel as though generations of creativity were whispering in my ear. From all the quotes printed out on the walls, one stood out.

“Photography has arrived at a point where it is capable of liberating painting from all literature, from the anecdote, and even from the subject. So shouldn’t painters profit from their newly acquired liberty to do other things?” – Pablo Picasso.

Quite a beautiful representation of the freedom that innovation can provide. Of course, no matter how accurately you can paint a moment in time, a simple photograph will depict it more realistically. Whether we want it or not, while creating something, we subconsciously add our perspective to it. So why not focus on that perspective? While photography provides accuracy, no picture can depict a unique perspective of a beating heart. This lovely quote and the artist to whom it belongs saw photography as liberating, allowing him to prioritise creativity and emotion over accuracy and realism.

Pablo Picasso, Capturing the Moment, Tate Modern, photo by Asya MKh

While I can’t begin to describe the art on the walls since my talking about it will never compare to seeing it, I can speak to my own experiences. Seeing works of art from various ages and styles carefully placed next to each other created a kind of chaotic harmony. Unlike exhibits of a single artist or galleries organised by the painting style, these rooms represented a moment, not in time, but in history. Parts of history that depict a jump in innovation are always interesting to explore. But seeing one of them put together, watching how incredibly talented people evolved and changed their work to continue creating and using the progress to their advantage, is truly the greatest form of time travel (well, apart from, you know, actual time travel).

As I walked through the rooms, the art and the quotes spoke to me in unison. I read:

“I think that painting is a kind of alchemy. The paint is transformed into image, and paint and image transform themselves into a third and new thing. I want to catch something in the act of becoming something else.” – Cecily Brown.

I then looked over at her work, now seeing it not as just a painting but as layers of unique transformations. I found it incredibly fascinating how art, even in its layers, has a history of unspoken metamorphoses, how one thing can become another with a simple brush stroke. Artists, like their art, transform as they move the brush. With each brush stroke, a great artist transforms, becoming one step closer to being a part of history.

The final quote that caught my eye before I stepped into the next room and, therefore, the next age was:

“I describe what I do as psychological Cubism. Picasso painted a violin from four different perspectives at one moment. I do the same with psychological states.” – George Condo.

This is an objectively awesome way to describe one’s work and a great example of the evolving nature of art. Emotions are always at the root of art. Still, the boundaries of styles sometimes prevent them from taking over the work, especially in the days when art had to follow a specific format to gain recognition. Seeing a work where emotions are brought to the surface and explored adds a whole new perspective to the experience. Perhaps this artist’s unique style is as simple as using psychology as inspiration, but to me, it perfectly represents the changing times. A time when artists are no longer bound by a necessity to depict a specific image but are allowed to explore the depths of humanity (without their work being labelled as inappropriate or crazy). We can also clearly track this change through the artists of the past, who are now praised for being ‘ahead of their time’ yet, in their day, were considered untalented.

Louise Lawler, Capturing the Moment, Tate Modern, photo by Asya MKh

In the next room, I explored the role of photography deeper. While traditional art, at least at first, looked down on photography, photography was inspired by traditional art. The idea of capturing the moment, once only possible with hours of work, was now at the world’s fingertips. Since its primary role was to capture a moment in time, photography could also be used to depict paintings and their significance to people. That’s what I saw in the photographs by Louise Lawler (one of them called Splash, 1947). The artist created a series capturing art in different settings, showing art’s meaning in people’s everyday lives.

As the years passed and I continued walking, I saw photography and painting working together. The painting that captivated me before I even got close enough to read the description was Venice (Island) by Gerhard Richter. The painting seemed so real. The moment was right there, yet it felt like I saw it with someone else’s eyes. After reading, I realised the artist took photographs of places and then based his painting on them (with impressive accuracy). Using photography to create a world that is ours, yet his.

I walked further down to see photography being incorporated into painting. With artists like Andy Warhol creating ‘pop’ art, photography was used to add to the work. Painting and photography began to blend and melt into each other. Although each held its own space, their mix created many modern masterpieces.

Finally, I moved to the last room and, with it, back to our time. A room depicted a more modern and familiar world, a room of the digital age. Now that photography is understood and used widely and painting is a well-known form of artistic expression with its iconic place in history, they have room to exist and grow together. Although I knew the outcome—and therefore the destination—it didn’t take away from my journey. Seeing how exciting new ways of self-expression formed and how they found their place under the sun while constantly inspiring one another to push the boundaries of what’s possible was like witnessing magic come alive. The ending is bittersweet, returning to the age where I can’t experience this history but can walk into the future. Experiencing history is more than exploration; it’s also a lesson in accepting creative innovations and feeling inspired rather than angry or intimidated. And I, for one, can’t wait to see what amazing new thing happens next.

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