Day: May 13, 2024

Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.

– Allen Saunders, 1957

I was reminded of the above quote – which is often and incorrectly attributed to John Lennon on accord of his 1980 record Beautiful Boy – when I visited Kit Boyd’s exhibition Details in response to a personal invitation for me to do so.

Open until May 23rd, 2024 at Monocle Man Gallery, which Kit co-manages with Lynx Luga, Details brought the quote to mind because of the manner in which it reminds us that the beauty and importance in life is not in what we are or do – but in who we are, how we treat the world and all the details that offer us pleasure and the opportunity to smile and simply to be.

From the moment one enters the foyer of the exhibition space, this over-arching theme is made clear thanks to a trio of images and a quote by artist Elizabeth Murray in celebration of the art of gardening. Supported by the considered use of props, this leads visitors into the main galleried room of the exhibition.

Here, Kit expands on that core theme, presenting us with images of things that can offer those receptive to them an ineffable richness of experience: reading, music, and luxuriating in the simple pleasures brought of a personal indulgence – in this case, that of the enjoyment of coffee.

I admit that as a pianist with a love of music and as a avid reader, Kit’s use of all three as motifs for Details immediately resonated with me, although I was particularly drawn to her use of coffee as a metaphor for the pleasure of personal indulgence, as the images (shown above) encapsulate and personify the detailed craft of home coffee-making, from the initial measuring and grinding of the beans through the anticipation brought forth by the resistance of a cafetiere (aka French press) plunger as it is being pressed down, to the first hint of that rich aroma and the promise it brings. There is a delight to be found in all of the little details of making and sharing coffee which to me make it less of a drink to be slurped and more of an experience to be savoured – particularly with friends at the end of a home-cooked meal.

Above these celebrations of music, reading and indulgence, and around the room’s gallery, Kit offers more reminders of how much pleasure can be had in pausing and taking time to enjoy the beauty and detail Nature has to offer.

To reach the gallery, visitors must take the stairs up from the foyer. Doing so means passing two more sub-themes with Details. The first – formed by Split Personality and Hang In There, both hanging over the stairwell – offers a neat underscoring of the central theme within Details, by drawing attention to the fact that modern life can so often mean losing sight of oneself the the daily struggle to deal with all the demands placed upon us.

The second sits apart from the rest of the exhibition both physically (being largely confined to a single room) and figuratively. It has within in a message that is increasingly important in this current era. Headed by the inspirational quote A woman Should be whatever she wants, it stands as an expression that women have a right to be themselves – not a chattel or confined by a role or title defined by society, but individuals free to express their own selves and indulge in those aspects and details of life which bring them the most pleasure and / or freedom.

In this I found Kit’s uses of images that might be considered erotic to be particularly effective; all too often, erotic expression by women is framed within the boundaries of male pleasure; but why shouldn’t we be free to express and enjoy such eroticism because it pleases us? Thus, within this small but effective display of six pieces (including Moonlight View on the wall outside), Kit frames a question about a woman’s right to self-expression and freedom of choice which casts a net far wider than the images themselves might initially suggest.

Details  is an elegant visual essay operating on several levels. One which can be enjoyed simply for the beauty of the art itself, or which can have those layer explored through introspection, recognition and consideration.

SLurl Details

• Monocle Man Gallery (Club Hub, rated Adult)