Created: Nov 25, 2023 08:00 AM
Whimsically beautiful: Bermuda Wonderland by Elizabeth Mulderig at the Bermuda National Gallery (Photograph by Akil Simmons)
Elizabeth Mulderig’s fantasy paintings, currently on exhibit in the Bermuda National Gallery’s Watlington Room, is focused on depicting Bermuda’s nine parishes as a Bermuda Wonderland. This is notable, as her exhibit sees Bermuda through the lens of Lewis Carroll’s much loved children’s book, Alice in Wonderland.
Carroll is the pen-name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, who was an Oxford academic, author, poet, mathematician and photographer. He was noted for his facility in wordplay, logic and fantasy; qualities that shine in Alice, as well as Alice Through the Looking Glass.
Elizabeth Mulderig is best known for her children's books, especially her Tiny the Tree Frog, series. Mulderig’s experience with Alice, goes back to when, as a young girl, she was cast as a playing card in the Bermuda School of Russian Ballet’s production of Alice, produced by Patricia Gray.
The exhibition is a wonderful mix of imaginative Bermuda landscapes along with a lot of goofiness, playfulness and elements taken from Alice. Its just what you would expect from Alice in Wonderland or its sequel, Alice Through the Looking Glass.
Of the Alice elements, there is first of all the white rabbit, which appears in the St George’s painting, as well as Sandys. Then in the Smith’s painting, there is the caterpillar sitting on top of the magic mushroom.
In the Devonshire painting, we find the Lobster Quadrille taking place on Devonshire Dock. In Pembroke we discover a chess game taking place on a grassy checkerboard, possibly in Fort Hamilton; the latter element being from Alice Through the Looking Glass.
In Paget we find talking tiger lilies, while in Warwick there is the Mad Hatter’s tea party, as well as the Dodo, which seemingly refers to Alice’s author, Carroll. He apparently stuttered and had difficulty pronouncing his surname, hence Dodo.
And so it goes, but there is much more to discover. Additionally the exhibition is digitally interactive. By means of a smart phone one can see each painting with swaying trees and singing birds, etc. In each painting, a ladybird beetle is hidden. See if you can find all nine.
This is a fun exhibition; one that is especially geared to children, but also those who are still children at heart and it’s free of charge.
But there is another side to Alice in Wonderland, one that its author seemingly never intended. It is said that Alice is a allegory with deeply hidden meanings. As a consequence, Alice has sometimes been banned from public libraries, because it is thought by some to be about substance abuse, or anti-colonialism and more. You name it, some will read into whatever their fertile minds cook up.
The Surrealists in the 1930s saw Alice as a forerunner of Surrealism and in 1969 Salvador Dali made a darkly illustrated version of Alice that was notably sinister.
In contrast, Bermuda Wonderland is a wonderfully light-hearted whimsy and hardly Surrealist. Here is an appropriate quote: “The world is a mad place in which expectations are often frustrated. Rather than trying to lock down meaning, we’d better delight in the ride.”
Incidentally, Alice in Wonderland has never been out of print since its initial publication in 1865
In a world gone all ugly, we need beauty and this whimsically beautiful display is what we need right now. It is highly recommended.
• Bermuda Wonderland is on display at the Bermuda National Gallery through May 2024. Free admission. Exhibit curated by Eve Godet Thomas. Sponsored by the Christian Human Foundation, with support from Mr and Mrs WH Williams, One Communications and Gorham’s Ltd
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