The National Gallery : poems on paintings

Six National Gallery commissions in 2023 and 2024, with three more to come in January March May of 2025.

New poems on paintings of choice as well as interacting and improvising with gallery guides, during Friday night lates events, which have seen amazing audiences and memorable, playful atmospheres. Those events I also have a chance to curate, inviting one other poet / artist and students of mine from Kingston University, to also write new poems on paintings.

"For centuries, the artforms of painting and poetry have been in dialogue with each other, with each informing the other, or attempting to translate what makes them unique as their own media into another. In this unique event and across future Friday Lates, poet and performer SJ Fowler will read new ekphrastic poems about chosen paintings in our collection, offering alternative interpretations of their meaning, history and standing.”

Event VII - January Friday 24th 2025

Really happy to have three more evenings at the National Gallery in 2025, following the success of these commissions in 2023 and 2024. For three Lates I will present new poems on paintings alongside an invited guest and a couple of students. The first event will take place on January 24th https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/events/friday-lates-tour-and-poetry-readings-sj-fowler-and-guests-24-01-2025

Event VI - May 2024

Final National Gallery event of 2024, on Boucher and Constable - Three brilliant evenings in 2024 at the National Gallery Lates where I’ve had the chance to write and perform new poems on paintings in the collection, and then invite another poet writer, and some of my students, to do the same. I was joined by Elaine Mitchener, Caitlin Nugent, Holly Appleby and Eleanor Wilders, and I read on paintings Pan and Syrinx by François Boucher and Cenotaph to the Memory of Sir Joshua Reynolds by John Constable. The audience was really sizeable and really generous. This was an exceptional all around effort, and a perfect way to cap off six commissions of this kind. Thanks go to Fiona Alderton and Joseph Kendra

Event V - March 22nd 2024

Another brilliant event as part of my commission series for National Gallery, this time joined by Iain Sinclair, Jessica Pritchard and Oscar Rodriguez. A healthy crowd followed us through Galleries B, C and D, some of the older paintings in the galleries collection.

The footage of the entire event here shows the nature of it as a tour, moving and stopping, with the context being given by art educator Jo Conybeare. Just as I was honoured to have Iain accept the invitation to be a part of it, with him being someone I’ve always admired, and who has always been remarkably generous, so I was really proud of my students Jessica and Oscar, who were really charismatic. My poems were on The Baptism of Christ by Piero della Francesca and The Fight between the Lapiths and the Centaurs by Piero di Cosimo, and can be watched in full below

Event VI - January 19th 2024

A fitting way to begin a triptych of brilliant events at the National Gallery Lates in 2024, flanked by fellow poet David Spittle and students Danica Ignacio and Monica Nathalal, led by art historian and author Fiona Alderton, and given the chance by curator Joseph Kendra.

Again I felt curiously relaxed, almost transforming into some sort of yellow liquid, reading my poems. Fiona remarked, kindly, and lucidly, that these events have been notable for their playfulness. The audience and poets alike were happy to be there, and again nearly 100 people in attendance.

Event III - June 30th 2023

A fitting way to end a triptych of brilliant events at the National Gallery Lates in 2023, flanked by fellow poet-artists Andrew Kötting, Safia Kamel, Marcia Knight Latter, led by art historian and author Fiona Alderton, and given the chance by curator Joseph Kendra.

Again I felt curiously relaxed, almost transforming into some sort of pink liquid, reading my poems, wafting about and interacting with everyone who attended. Fiona remarked, kindly, and lucidly, that these events have been notable for their joyousness. The audience and poets alike were happy to be there, for it was a bit special, in that place, at that time, together, moving room to room.

I’m very grateful to everyone who has supported these events, they have been so positive, and fun, to Joseph Kendra for making them happen.

Event II - March 24th 2023

An amazing night, for the second time, at the National Gallery this year. These commissions couldn’t have been more fun. I’ve felt so supported, so relaxed, joined this time by poets Stan Dimitrov, Matt Sokulsky, Rushika Wick, and art historian Fiona Alderton, and curator Joseph Kendra. We had a proper blast, huge crowd, great galleries and some great readings. Here you can watch the video of the entire event, and below, my two readings.

I wrote and read new poems on Goya’s Wellington (a hero of mine) and Sorolla’s The Drunkards (at Joseph’s urging)

Event I - January 20th 2023

An unexpectedly enormous turnout for myself and poets Kayona Daley, Cameron Wade and Tom Jenks, alongside educator and guide Katy Tarbard all curated by Joseph Kendra. This was a very memorable event, relaxed, literary, fun. The poems were serious, engaging, resonant, but the atmosphere was more febrile, playful. But it stayed close, despite the big crowd in small spaces with unamplified voices. Katy, Kayona, Cameron, Tom, Joseph are such decent, warm people, to match their talent, the whole thing was so enjoyable for me. A special start to 2023 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/events/talks-and-conversations-friday-lates-tour-and-poetry-readings-writers-kingston-20-01-2023

Here the video of the entire event, as a kind of film tour. And below my readings clipped out.

My first painting - Rembrandt’s Belshazzar's Feast nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/rembrandt-belshazzars-feast

My second painting - Drunken Silenus supported by Satyrs Possibly by Anthony van Dyck nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/possibly-by-anthony-van-dyck-drunken-silenus-supported-by-satyrs

Friday Lates: Tour and poetry readings

Poet and performer SJ Fowler brings together writers for a unique evening of readings around the Gallery. This event is part of Friday Lates.

Friday, 20 January 2023. 7.15 - 8 pm Room 22

About For centuries, the artforms of painting and poetry have been in dialogue with each other, with each informing the other, or attempting to translate what makes them unique as their own media into another. In this unique event and across future Friday Lates, poet and performer SJ Fowler will read new ekphrastic poems about chosen paintings in our collection, offering alternative interpretations of their meaning, history and standing.

Fowler is joined by Gallery Educator Katy Tarbard alongside invited guests from Writers’ Kingston, students and staff from Kingston University, as well as further afield, for a tour and poetry performances around the Gallery.