Step into the world of Virtual Beauty at Somerset House

This is set to be one of summer’s talked-about exhibitions – and on Tuesday night, we got a sneak peek of Virtual Beauty before it opened its doors to the public. Co-curated by a super-cool trio – Bunny Kinney (Global Executive Creative Director of Dazed Studio), educator and writer Gonzalo Herrero Delicado and visual anthropologist Mathilde Friis, the exhibition was previously shown in Japan, and is open here in this stunning Georgian gallery beside the Thames, until September. (We love that you can ‘pay what you can,’ opening it up to a much wider audience.)

Many of us have become obsessed with manipulating our self-image (Instagram filters, anyone?) – and indeed, by projecting it into cyberspace. (We’d struggle to find a ‘selfie’ taken as long as 10 years ago; now, millions are posted every day.) As the curators put it, ‘In an age when digital self-curation is second nature, Virtual Beauty invites audiences to reflect on identify, empowerment and the shifting boundaries of beauty in the post-internet era.’

As the blogger Cultural Wednesday (herself a strong recommend, NB) says, ‘Virtual Beauty looks into how beauty has become pixel deep.’ So, there’s lots of AI, lots of digitally manipulated images, a mirror which positions a silvered mask over your face that moves as you turn your head. Some of it’s truly beautiful. Some of it has us screaming for the hills. But all of it is thought-provoking, at a time when we really cannot always believe our eyes when it comes to beauty. (Note: it’s not recommended for ages below 15 – and you’ll see why.)

Personally, it had us wanting to come home, harvest some herbs and mx up a skin cream over a wood fire, wearing not a scrap of make-up (Pamela Anderson-style), having locked up our phones (along with our make-up bags) in a vault. But a couple of days later, we still find ourselves musing on this show, and its (to us) unsettling implications.

And we encourage you go, and to make up your own mind. (If not necessarilly your own image.)

Until 28th September, opening hours are:

Sunday to Wednesday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. (except Friday 1st August when it’s midday to 6 p.m.). Thursday and Friday midday to 8 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Pay what you can…