Not Quite as Memorable as the Last Time

Where: National Portrait Gallery

When: through January 8, 2017

Every three years, the National Portrait Gallery holds an art competition.  This year, there were 2,500 entrants (professionals and non-professionals), and 43 of the finalists' work is on display.   I liked this show, but it wasn't as good as the previous display three years ago.  Of course, that was one of the best shows I've seen, each piece would have been the star of any other exhibit, so that's an amazingly high bar to meet.

There were a couple of interesting pieces:  "A Moment in Time" was a series of portraits of the artist in period costume, taken with period photographic technology and displayed in period frames.  Starting in 1850 and ending in 2010, you can see the changes that 260 years have brought to clothing, technology and design.  "Caja de Memoria Viva II: Constancia Colon de Clemente" was a multimedia display hung from the ceiling - you walked under it and were immersed in an audio-visual display.

Verdict: Good, but not great.  Worth seeing, but nothing you have to run to see.