NEWS: Derek Eland – Diary Rooms @ MIMA

Multimedia artist Derek Eland is bringing his latest exhibition to Middlesbrough’s MIMA from Tuesday 11^th November until Thursday 26^th February. Since working as the official War Artist in 2011 – embedded with the British Army in Helmand Province – Eland has been compiling works from his time in Afghanistan into his latest exhibition. While in Afghanistan, he created a ‘diary room’ experience for front line soldiers (both British and Afghan) by providing them with an opportunity to write down their most immediate thoughts.

The stories contained on the blank cards Eland handed out are raw and often painfully honest but also varied, from remarkable tales to mundane sketches. In his work, the everyday reality of life on the front line sits alongside emotional accounts written just after battle. In all, Diary Rooms presents a unique self-portrait collection that highlights individual experiences of contemporary conflict.

Derek Eland: Diary Rooms is showing from Tuesday 11^th November until Thursday 26^th February at Middlesbrough’s MIMA.