New exhibitions open
Two new art exhibitions have opened last week at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Tom Hunter - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Hunter's contemporary reworking of Shakespeare's play is set in Hackney, East London, where the artist lives and works, and features local people and communities including samba dancers, pearly kings and queens, a thrash metal band and a pole dancer.
Taking key moments from the play, Hunter has distilled Shakespeare's work into a series of images which weave together contemporary city life with that of the celebrated tale of love and illusion.
Tom Hunter's exhibition occupies the Paccar Room until 1 April 2012.
George Chakravarthi – Thirteen
This exhibition of powerful self portraits depicts the 13 characters in Shakespeare's plays who meet their ends through suicide, including Brutus, Lady Macbeth, Ophelia, Cleopatra, Juliet, and Romeo.
The large scale, jewel-like images are mounted in lightboxes, referencing stained glass as well as monuments and tombs.
George Chakravarthi's exhibition can be found in the Swan Room until 29 April 2012.
Entry to both exhibitions is free
More about exhibitions at the RSC