Richard Scott – Woman Peeling Turnips; A Portrait of my Father Premiere

Richard Scott’s Woman Peeling Turnips; A Portrait of my Father is the result of the poet’s residency at Southwark Park Galleries in August 2019, Queer Pilgrims. This new text forms a poetic investigation into ekphrasis•, father-figures and the violence of creation.

Using Chardin’s 1738 genre scene painting Woman Peeling Turnips as a starting point, Scott interrogates the very act of looking at an artwork whilst meditating upon queerness and intergenerational familial trauma. 

I am the son you wanted, only queered. The turnip hits a rock in the soil and forks beautifully.

Richard Scott, Woman Peeling Turnips; A Portrait of my Father (2020).

The commissioned text and recorded broadcast will then be permanently available on Southwark Park Galleries’ website following transmission.

Woman Peeling Turnips; A Portrait of my Father was commissioned by Southwark Park Galleries and generously supported by the Southwark Mayflower 400 Grants Fund from Southwark Council, British Land and United St Saviours; and with huge thanks to our friends at Resonance FM.

• Ekphrasis: a vivid description of a scene or a work of art.  An ekphrastic poem is a poem inspired or stimulated by a work of art.

Content disclaimer: This piece contains adult themes and some explicit language.