A celebration of Kate Bush, as seen through the lenses of Gered Mankowitz and Guido Harari
Wow.
It seems to be the word of the moment for so many reasons.
Usually I would be writing an exhibition newsletter just before we launch a new show, but our Kate Bush exhibition featuring work by Gered Mankowitz and Guido Harari has already been open for five complete days as I put fingers to keyboard. With the constant flow of amazingly friendly and globetrotting Kate Bush fans through the gallery door, with their stories of the build up, the concerts and all things Kate, there simply has not been time for me to get anything down on virtual paper until now.
It’s nice actually, because one week in, I can pause for breath and think about the reaction we have had to this show. It started with two competing film crews – one from ITV in the UK and one from ARD in Germany arriving just as we opened the gallery doors at 11.00am on Tuesday. Rather than battle it out, they both worked together in our gallery space with a spirit of Kate-induced bonhomie that set the standard for the days to follow. Customers who found themselves in the gallery were grabbed for impromptu interviews, and those particularly eloquent ones – take a bow Richard and Michael – were grabbed by both film crews.
Once the cameras were out, the fans moved in, and since Tuesday morning we have seen a constant stream of visitors from all nations, all out for a good time: America, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Africa, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Scotland, Ireland, The Isle of Man, England, Wales, Brazil and many more. Flying across the globe has been no barrier and everyone is everyone’s friend. The emotions have been at the forefront. We have had tears, gasps of amazement, and shrieks of joy – and that was just from our gentlemen visitors. Was that Kelly Reilly in the other day, and Beck the day before? Or just lookalikes ? I can’t be sure. Actually I don’t really know what is going on, but it’s brilliant and exhausting and I am glad we are a part of it. In ten years of running the gallery, I have never experienced anything quite like it.
WOW! The mammoth signed limited edition book from Gered Mankowitz’s Kate Bush archives.
The reaction to the ultra-large-format limited edition book, WOW!, has been blinding.
Go here for more info on WOW! and to place an order online.
