London (Garrick) 2008 looks across the street into The Garrick Club, the well-known gentlemen’s club founded in 1831 as an institute of patronage for drama. The photograph is part of John Riddy’s series Low Relief (2006–8) which explores architectural textures across London. Captured at night it provides a view into a dramatically lit and empty space. The failing light renders the building, the street and the parked car in a wash of muted grey, which accentuates the ruby red interiors displayed with ornate, gilt-edged paintings. The view that Riddy offers us is tantalizingly brief and raises more questions – specifically about the nature of power and privilege – than it answers.
JOHN RIDDY (British, 1959)
Archival pigment print
Acquired in 2009
