Tim Walker: Wonderful Things at the V&A

I recently visited the Victoria and Albert Museum to see the Tim Walker exhibition: Wonderful Things. I have been an admirer of Walker's work since my days as fashion student (a while ago now!) and was looking forward to seeing the work on display.


I originally thought the exhibition was more of a retrospective of his work and was expecting to see some of his iconic images such as the image of Lily Cole in Vogue in 2012. However, the exhibition focuses on Walkers relationship with the archives of the V&A and how they have inspired him and his work. I didn't see this as a problem as Walkers body of work is huge, although it would be extremely difficult to fit all of his work (a career spanning nearly 25 years) into the space.


I personally loved all the large imagery and the props from the shoots. The large animals used in the wonderful things promotional imagery shoot are great to look at and a lot of the sets bring a whimsical quality to the exhibition. It's possibly one of the things i love most about Walker's work; the fantasy and 'unreal' elements bring a sense of escapism that can't always be found in other photographs. Walking through the various areas is like passing into different worlds; something that works more in some areas than others.



Although i enjoyed this exhibition, i found the curation quite confusing at times. Elements of the archive have been placed alongside photoshoot images and their links explained but in other cases, the inspiration is around the corner from what it inspired, losing the cohesion that's present in other areas, or random pieces are included and the links to his work aren't fully explained. I would also have liked the exhibition to have been bigger; although i took my time walking through the various areas and reading the descriptions, it didn't take very long, which for the ticket price was a little disappointing. However, i did enjoy it, so don't let me put you off! If fashion photography is your thing, you do need to see this. The exhibition runs until 8th March 2020.

You can read more about the exhibition and book tickets on the V&A website.