3 June 2016 - 4 February 2017
House of MinaLima, 26 Greek Street, Soho, London, W1D 5DE
Last week I had some time to have a look at the pop-up exhibition in Soho, that features a wide range of props and original illustrations for the Harry Potter film series. Graphic designers Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima (whose names sound uncannily like they belong in said films) are the brains behind the wonderfully detailed and extensive works of art that are the printed medium in these films. From posters, newspapers, books, packaging and plenty more, this is a feast of the eyes for any Harry Potter fan. In fact, even if you aren't a Harry Potter fan, it would be difficult not to be impressed and delighted by the sheer amount of imagination and creativity that have gone into these props. Even more so when you remember that most of these props will have only been featured on screen for a few seconds, maybe less or not at all. It's an immersive sense of dedication that the two clearly project in these elaborate examples.
The exhibition isn't huge but there's something very charming about how modest the size of the venue is, crammed full to the brim with Harry Potter nostalgia and feels even more like an adventure into some place hidden and special. In a way the whole ambience of the pop-up is made to feel like a shop you may encounter on Diagon Alley in the wizarding world.
Most of the pair's works are framed as prints that you can inspect with a lot more detail, whilst the exhibition also hosts the real props for comparison, loaned by the Warner Brothers Studio Tour. I have also been to the Studio Tour of Harry Potter and remembered seeing a lot of the graphic art there. But at the tour, you're overwhelmed by so many things to look at, it's a treat to get to see this art on a stage of it's own. It would be a shame not to be able to appreciate the amount of effort that has gone into each piece.
One of the other reasons people are flocking to this exhibition is no doubt for the Harry Potter memorabilia, As I mentioned, a lot of the work on show are presented as prints which you can actually buy limited editions of. This has definitely become a place for collectors to add the incredible prints to their collections.
A very charming exhibition which won't take long to whizz round, but it's definitely worth it when you do.
No comments:
Post a Comment