There is Light Somewhere, the title of the latest show by conceptual artist Tavares Strachan at the Hayward Gallery in London, is borrowed from a James Baldwin quote. In his final book of essays, Nothing Personal (1964), the American novelist and social critic wrote:
One discovers the light in darkness, that is what darkness is for; but everything in our lives depends on how we bear the light. It is necessary, while in darkness, to know that there is a light somewhere, to know that in oneself, waiting to be found, there is a light.
Baldwin’s words form a central motif for the exhibition. A mesmerising blue-and-yellow neon light display alternates melodically between showing the quote and the words “One Light”. As the words move, they highlight the light and darkness within ourselves, and the way we can often move between hope and despair.
