Feature: Exhibition - THE BIG PICTURE - The Library of Babel at Chalk Farm gallery, 176

Published: 11 February 2010
by JOSH LOEB

THE Library of Babel, an exhibition at 176, an art gallery near Chalk Farm, is inspired by a short story of the same name by the Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges.

The story tells of how inhabitants of an ­infinite library search for meaning in the information around them. 

The exhibition takes up this theme, ­showcasing works from the Zabludowicz ­Collection, including Carry Out The ­Modernisations of the Fatherland (oil on canvas) by Kehinde Wiley, one of the 225 images that those entering the gallery will see.

One interpretation of the painting is that it explores how symbols are reappropriated throughout history. It shows a man giving what appears to be a Nazi salute, but which could remind people of a Black ­Power ­gesture (but without the clenched fist). The surrounding pattern contains symbols including the Wheel of Life – a Hindu symbol ­corrupted to become the symbol of the Nazi party.

The exhibition is guest-curated by Anna-Catharina Gebbers, a Berlin-based curator. The Zabludowicz Collection gave her complete freedom to create an exhibition from the more than 2,000 works it keeps. The exhibition will be accompanied by a programme of lectures and debates, with professionals and ­visitors alike  being offered the chance to become guides, conducting tours for the public. 

• The Library of Babel runs from February 25 until May 9 at Gallery 176, 176 Prince of Wales Road, London, NW5, 020 7428 8940, Thursday-Sunday, 12-6pm or by appointment on 020 7428 8948. Entrance free. 
Exhibition preview February 25, 7-9pm

Picture: Kehinde Wiley, Carry Out The Modernisations of The Fatherland, 2007 © the artist,
courtesy Zabludowicz Collection and Deitch Projects