Next Exhibition | 'Heron' 1-4 May 2025

Opening Date: Thursday 1 May 2025 
Venue: Broth Art (Pop-up)
Location: 11 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DX 

Broth Art is delighted to present 'Herons' a group exhibition, exploring the heron as a metaphor for quiet observation, the clandestine and the growing disconnect between nature and humans. Bringing together painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture, the exhibition draws inspiration from the letter 'The Herons' written in 1997 by the renowned art critic and writer John Berger to Subcomandante Marcos, the leader of the Zapatista movement in Mexico.

'The Herons' is amongst a series of letters exchanged between Berger and Subcomandante Marcos, in which Berger expresses his support for the Zapatistas and their fight for indigenous rights and land autonomy. Sharing the view that neoliberalism was eroding human rights and at the same time, destroying the planet, Berger saw the Zapatista movement as an emblem of “resistance against the inhumanity of the new world economic order”.

In the letter, Berger describes a solitary heron that returns every spring to a secluded lake, which comes to serve as a motif for the Zapatistas. It speaks to the quiet strength and the clandestine nature of the Zapatista movement and their vision of an idealised future - one where they can live freely, free of violence and oppression, where communities live in harmony with nature, stewarding the land, not exploiting it. 

Berger referenced herons in other writings. For him, they stood for quiet observation and the act of seeing itself, embodying a kind of stillness and awareness that stood separate from the noise of modern day living. He invited the reader to slow down to the "beat of the heron’s wings”. Patiently waiting, poised in the murky pond, it serves as a reminder that even in the face of overwhelming odds, there is strength in reflection and quiet action.

About John Berger 
John Berger (b.1926 – d. 2017) was a British art critic, theorist, novelist, painter and activist, best known for his groundbreaking work in visual culture. His 1972 television series and subsequent book Ways of Seeing revolutionised the way people interpret art, emphasising how social, cultural, and historical contexts influence our understanding of visual imagery. He won the Booker Prize in 1972 and famously donated half of the cash prize to the British Black Panthers, retaining the rest to fund research on migrant workers. Throughout his life he advocated emphatically for the rights of migrants, minorities and workers.

About Subcomandante Marcos
Rafael Sebastián Guillén Vicente (b. 1957), widely known by his nom de guerre Subcomandante Marcos, is a Mexican activist and the former leader and spokesperson of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN). A scholar in philosophy and literature, Marcos was a lecturer at UAM in Mexico City for several years before joining the EZLN. During his time with the Zapatistas, all public appearances were made wearing a ski-mask and pipe, for which he became well known. His writings on politics, insurgence and indigenous rights have received much acclaim, celebrated for their humour and poetic style.

Exhibition Details:
Dates: 1 - 4 May 2025
Opening Reception: Thursday 1 May 2025, 6pm-8pm
Location: Broth Art (Pop-up), 11 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DX
Details: At the opening reception artist Nathania Hartley responds to the letter 'The Herons' by spoken word. More details to follow.

For all press and media enquiries, please contact: kim@brothart.com

RSVP for the private view here.