british library and whitechapel gallery

finally made it to the British Library to see its famous 'treasures.' I've been inside a couple times to see temporary exhibits, but today I got to see its most prized possessions including the Magna Carta, Lindisfarne Gospels and handwritten Beatles lyrics.

not a particularly aesthetically pleasing building.

no photos of the interior so, you'll have to check out the treasures yourselves on your next trip to london!

then headed to the east end to visit whitechapel art gallery for the first time.

it's a collection of small modern art exhibits, and I was particularly interested in:

Goshka Macuga: The Nature of the Beast.

My Art & War professor had told me about this exhibit featuring the tapestry reproduction of picasso's guernica. In this exhibition, goshka macuga poignantly reminds viewers of the power of picasso's guernica and also the horrors of the iraq war.

heartwrenching detail.

so what's the relevance between picasso's guernica and the iraq war you ask? well, in february 5, 2003 then secretary of state Colin Powell presented to the UN security council, the u.s. case against Iraq. he was supposed to deliver his speech in the Security Council Chamber, except that's where this tapestry reproduction of guernica was hung. Concerned about this powerful and blatant anti-war artwork, the UN headquarters quickly covered it up with a blue curtain, and the piece was hidden from newspaper and tv reporters, and the general public.

makes me wonder how the public would have responded to the proposed invasion of iraq, if people had seen guernica while powell was delivering his speech. would they have realized that powell was proposing precisely to repeat the tragedy of guernica and prolong it for 7 years? and the UN and powell covering the tapestry up, clearly shows that they knew exactly what atrocities they were committing.

cubist colin powell.

on one of the walls of the exhibit, they showed a documentary on the iraq war titled "occupation: dreamland." without intending to, I ended up staying there for about half an hour just watching the video on the invasion/occupation of fallujah. the soldier's treatment of iraqi civilians were hard to watch, and their interviews hard to listen to. asked about the effects of war, one of the soldiers replied "just be prepared to get completely f***ed up."

then, on the way back to my room from king's cross I discovered this little creature.

a blue monkey! just like the pink one i saw on oxford st, yesterday! i can't believe i didn't notice it until today, and I wonder how many of these monkeys are in the city.