Mitra Saboury & Nathan Coley

These artworks are part of Ways of Seeing, a partnership between Waltham Forest London Borough of Culture 2019 and the Government Art Collection. Ways of Seeing turns the borough into a gallery with 33 internationally renowned artists displayed in 28 unexpected locations.

Mitra Saboury - Trailer

Trailer is a contemporary art video by Mitra Saboury. It follows a woman with a tortoise-like shell on her back, walking in her bare feet. The woman is the artist, Saboury. The shell is made from a concrete cast of her body. It offers both protection and a portable home as she wanders the urban landscape. 

Saboury is interested in the relationship between the built environment and the female body. This relationship can be uncomfortable and scary at times. She uses repetitive actions and dark humour to address challenging feelings about occupying a space in the world. 

Saboury also invites us to think about how we feel when we see art in a public place, rather than in an art gallery. In this video, the security guard gives us one kind of response. What will yours be?  

Born in Monterey, California, Mitra Saboury studied neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh, graduating in 2010. She received her MA in Fine Art at Goldsmiths, University of London, in 2013. She lives between London and Los Angeles. Since 2016, Saboury’s work has included public projects in Liverpool, Wakefield and South Korea.

Nathan Coley - You Create What You Will

Have you ever thought about how your beliefs affect how you understand words? This artwork invites you to do just that. The words are written in tiny holes on a lightbox. The phrase is borrowed from a 1921 play by the writer George Bernard Shaw. “Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last you create what you will.”

Coley’s art looks at ideas of faith and community and how these affect people, particularly people who live in towns and cities. Using language, the artist explores how we experience things. 

Nathan Coley was born in 1967 in Glasgow, where he continues to live and work. He studied at The Glasgow School of Art. His work explores ideas in different media, including sculpture, photography, drawing and video. In 2007, he was shortlisted for the Turner Prize. 

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Both artworks in reception, accessible during opening hours. Large groups can book on 020 8498 3300.