Woking, The Lightbox, The Ingram Collection: Dreams and Nightmares, 22 May – 15 July 2012;
Woking, The Lightbox, The Ingram Collection: Animals in Art, 8 January – 16 March 2014;
Hastings, Jerwood Gallery, Century: 100 Modern British Artists, 23 October 2016 – 8 January 2017;
Woking, The Lightbox, Is there still life in Still Life? 15 July – 1 October 2017;
Hull, Ferens Art Gallery, Reflection: British Art in an Age of Change, 17 August 2019 – 5 January 2020
Birds have often been associated with freedom and pleasure, and in this case there seems to be a contrast between the bright bird and the monochrome human head and hand. The squeezebox is also colourful, the keys jauntily crooked in a melodious kind of way. Are we being invited to leave the monochrome world behind and follow the life and colour of music? Or is this perhaps a kind of self-portrait? Banting used these kinds of symbols to explore his feelings about life and death.
