Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum is ‘Unlocked!’

Unlocked!, presented by the Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum, is an exhibition which lifts the metaphorical curtain usually dividing the museum floor and the depths of storage that house a large and diverse collection of unseen exhibits. In so doing, it also sheds a light on the decision-making process – usually not even considered by museum visitors – behind either presenting an exhibit, keeping it in storage, or choosing to restore it.

The medium through which the museum hopes to enlighten its audience is designed to be family-friendly, engaging and accessible. There are various opportunities for interaction, including a treasure trail for younger participants and various prompts for consideration contained within the wall mounted description alongside each exhibit.

Composed of a tapas-like selection of objects, each deliciously disparate and intriguing, the exhibition defied expectations

The result is a fascinating departure from the usual collections housed by small, provincial museums. Those collections are not without merit, but their usual uniformity of content has a rather dulling effect on their audience. Unlocked!, by comparison, was bridled by none of these restraints. Composed of a tapas-like selection of objects, each deliciously disparate and intriguing, the exhibition defied expectations.

Included in this array is an ancient Buddhist religious text, so unlike a conventional book I initially mistook it to be a fan; an aesthetically pleasing poster advertising the 1972 German Olympics; and some wonderful oil paintings created by artists with ties to the local area. One of the gems amongst the eclectic collection is an L. S. Lowry painting that has been displayed to allow a view of the front and back of the canvas, displaying the ‘hidden’ work on the underside. The Lowry painting in itself is worth going to see; the usually undisplayed work on the back is a fascinating insight into the composition of other famous Lowry landscapes, comprising features recognisable in his other work.

One of the gems amongst the eclectic collection is an L. S. Lowry painting that has been displayed to allow a view of the front and back of the canvas

The breadth and variety of the collection was contained within a fairly small room with no particular historical order, which allowed an unconscious and natural adoption of the conventional clockwise museum perusal strategy, and which was effortlessly engaging. The exhibition was also successful in relaying the practical and financial concerns of the museum, by presenting items from collections not usually displayed due to lack of space or funds. The collection also describes how, in other cases, exhibits often lie in storage due to their unknown origin, making it difficult to place them in any particular collection. It is therefore fantastic that these pieces, whose only fault is their miscellaneous nature, are given the opportunity to be displayed and enjoyed. It prompts an intriguing consideration of the treasures housed by other museums awaiting restoration or classification.

Presented with the effortless assimilation of a listicle, yet delivering greater reflective depth, Unlocked! is definitely worth a view. This museum may not usually receive the footfall of Warwick University’s student population, but this intriguing collection is more than likely to engage such a clientele, with free entry and the diverse array of exhibits providing something of interest for most.  If you can get past the inertia-prompting tourist office façade of the gallery and navigate to the exhibition within, you will certainly not regret it.

Unlocked! runs until 15 July. Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum is open Tuesday – Saturday 10:45am-5pm, Sunday 11am-4pm and closed on Mondays.