Extraordinary Postcards for Extraordinary Times

As England awaits another potential national lockdown, it felt like an opportune moment to visit Newlyn Art Gallery’s Extraordinary Postcards for Extraordinary Times exhibition.

During the first lockdown in March 2020, the Gallery invited members of the public to share their experiences of this extraordinary time. With over 2,000 responses from all over Cornwall, Europe and the world, the responses were incredibly varied. There was a chronicle of everything eaten in lockdown, a photographic self portrait on Zoom and a collage of pressed wild flowers. From knitted postcards and oil paintings to cyanotype exposures and pencil drawings, it was wonderful to see the mix of mediums used.

Some people expressed boredom at the repetitive nature of being constrained to the home, others complained about being over worked, and some seemed to thoroughly enjoy the time alone. However, seeing all the postcards beautifully exhibited together in the gallery space, it was strangely comforting to know that we all went through this individual time together.

Extraordinary Postcards is at the Newlyn Art Gallery until 2nd January 2021. If you are unable to visit the exhibition in person, you can see an online chronicle of all the cards.