Small Is Beautiful – Miniature Art Exhibition

At the door I was warmly welcomed and warned to keep my eyes peeled for six hidden pieces throughout the museum. All were hidden in plain sight and perfectly reflected works such as those by the artist Slinkachu. This artist creates works in urban settings and “abandons” his works in the landscape. It also felt like these hidden pieces had escaped the attractions and were running riot in the museum. One of my favourites was a huge life-size spider crawling on the wall by a staircase. Arachnophobes, there is nothing to fear! A cluster of people had the situation under control.

A handful of other standout pieces included beautiful worlds captured in jars by Basia Wesolowska. Intricate human figures folded from a single uncut piece of paper by Juho Konkkola. Fragile figures carved into the tip of a pencil by Jasenko Dordevic. The art by Vincent Bal drew my attention the most. Whole scenes are created using ink and shadows cast by a selection of objects.

Photo by Tobias Schwarz

The exhibition reminded me of “melting men” by Nele Azevedo. Azevedo carved 1,000 figures of people out of ice. These figures were posed to give them a life-like feel and placed in public areas such as: Gendarmenmarkt Square, Berlin. They melted as the sun rose, only lasting roughly half an hour before they began to transform. This installation was a collaboration with WWF to highlight the effects of global warming and the melting ice caps. It has also appeared in Birmingham, UK, to commemorate the 100 years since the First World War. The shock of its impermanence, stature and its lasting impact in people’s minds show that it is an excellent example of miniature art making a massive impact.

Apart from the mountain of inspiration taken from the Small Is Beautiful exhibition, it has opened my eyes to perspective. It can be a common occurrence to feel creatively drained, but by stopping and re-adjusting your thinking, who knows what you will be able to come up with. Maybe the glass of water on your desk can transform into a glistening pool. Or perhaps your bowl of Spag Bol is a sea monster. Maybe a shoe box can be taken and transformed into an entire landscape with intricate detail.

I would strongly recommend seeing this exhibition.