Milk

30 March 2023 – 10 September 2023

Past

Free
Exhibition

Photograph of 3 exhibition visitors looking at a large terracotta artwork in the a larger exhibition space. The artwork is made up of a large bowl, supported on 3 sides by truncated terracotta torsos, one of which is holding its right breast. The visitors are leaning over, peering into the bowl. Behind them are framed works on hung on the wall.

A fascinating deep dive into the white stuff ★★★★
Evening Standard

‘Milk’ explores our relationship with milk and its place in politics, society and culture. It considers how milk has come to be seen as so central to perceptions of nutrition and “good health” in the UK. The choices we make about milk are personal. But it is also a highly politicised liquid that has been used to exert power as well as provide care.

The exhibition brings together over 100 objects, including items used in farming and infant feeding, historical advertising, public health posters, and contemporary artworks.

‘Milk’ includes new artistic commissions by Danielle Dean, Jess Dobkin and Ilana Harris-Babou, as well as a new documentary by Leo Hallam Dawson on UK dairy farming and a 2023 iteration of Melanie Jackson and Esther Leslie’s project ‘Deeper in the Pyramid’.

This exhibition asks: Why has cow’s milk been considered essential to a good diet in the UK? What forces shape the ways we feed our babies? How has milk been used to tie ideas of health to whiteness? How do we value milk and those who produce it?

‘Milk’ is curated by Honor Beddard and Marianne Templeton.

Exhibition highlights

Photograph of a display case set into a gallery wall. Inside the case are 4 shelves, each containing 8 ceramic creamers in the form of a cow. They are all different shapes, colours and patterns. — 1 of 11
These cow-shaped creamer jugs date from the 18th and early 19th centuries. They were designed for serving milk with tea. Milk or cream is added through a hole in the cow’s back, then poured out through her mouth, with her tail sometimes acting as a handle. You may recognise the image of the “contented cow” from dairy adverts and packaging.

Photograph of a large art installation set within a larger exhibition gallery space. The installation resembles a large black udder-like sculptural form, suspended from the ceiling. Surrounding the sculpture are other exhibits, framed works on the wall and exhibition cases. — 2 of 11
Julia Bornefeld’s large hanging sculpture resembles the shape of a cow’s udder, with 13 teats instead of four. The upper part also resembles the shape of a human breast. Through her imagining of the maternal body, Bornefeld asks us to consider milk-giving from human and animal bodies as a practice of both care and extraction.

Photograph of a black, glossy perspex shelf with accompanying wall backing, hung on an exhibition gallery wall. Carefully placed on the shelf are 18 different white casts of milk bottles and packets from around the world. — 3 of 11
‘Milk’ by Lucy + Jorge Orta features different milk containers used around the world. The jugs, bottles, bags and cartons in this sculpture show how the shape and feel of a milk container depends on where you live.

Photograph of a large ceramic milk counter pan with handles and metallic lid. 'Pure Milk' is written on the side of the pan. The pan is displayed in a perspex display case with a caption panel set on a recycled plastic plinth. — 4 of 11
This container held milk for sale in a 19th-century British dairy shop. It was produced by the Dairy Outfit Company, which specialised in hygienic dairying equipment to make milk safe to drink. The pan’s lid was designed to keep out dirt and flies. Its floral pattern shows how dairy companies used images from nature to promote milk as a ’natural’ and safe food.

Photograph of a small terracotta model of a mule carrying two trays loaded with cheeses from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. The mule is placed inside a display case which brown hues similar the mules colouring. It is bathed in a spotlight. — 5 of 11
In our exhibition you’ll find a Roman terracotta model of a mule carrying two trays loaded with cheeses. It dates from the third or second century BCE, and is the oldest object in the exhibition. Methods like cheese-making and fermentation can be used to preserve and trade milk safely, and have been practised around the world for centuries.

Photograph of a large terracotta artwork in an exhibition space. The artwork is made up of a large bowl, supported on 3 sides by truncated terracotta torsos, one of which is holding its right breast. Behind the artwork are framed works, video projections and caption panels. — 6 of 11
Clementine Keith-Roach created these casts of her body the day after she stopped breastfeeding. Entitled ‘New Mourning II’, the sculpture marks the separation of mother and child during weaning as both a time of grief and a new beginning.

Photograph of a framed poster hanging in a frame on the wall of an exhibition gallery. The poster shows a blond haired toddler in a yellow dress. Beside them are the words, 'let the toddler's first steps - lead to the welfare centre'. — 7 of 11
The idea that women need scientific advice to successfully care for and feed their infants took hold in Europe and North America in the late 19th century. It stemmed from the rise of paediatrics and adverts for newly available infant formulas. This 1937 poster encouraged mothers to attend the welfare centre and “do what the doctor tells you”.

Photograph of 2 exhibition visitors looking at a large projected video in an exhibition gallery setting. One visitor is sat on a bench whilst the other stands to one side. The wall behind them is covered I patterned wallpaper and on the floor are 3 hooped cushion which resemble nursing pillows. On the screen is projected the words, 'Let down reflex'. — 8 of 11
If you’re visiting the exhibition, you can watch Ilana Harris-Babou’s ‘Let Down Reflex’ while seated in one of the giant breastfeeding cushions. The work reflects on breastfeeding and the passing down of maternal knowledge. Its soundtrack is based on a lullaby said to have been sung by an enslaved Black mother separated from her baby to wet-nurse a white child.

National Dried Milk tin, c1950s, Welfare Foods Service. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).

9 of 11

Milk has been central to UK welfare schemes since wartime rationing. In the 1950s the Welfare Food Scheme distributed National Dried Milk to mothers and young children, regardless of income. At this time, milk was held up as a ‘perfect’ food because of its unique combination of nutrients.

Photograph of 3 exhibition visitors looking at a large projected video in an exhibition gallery setting. Two visitors are sat on a bench whilst the other stands to one side. On the screen is an animation showing a green lush forested landscape, some of which is starting to turn white. — 10 of 11
‘White’ is a new animation by Danielle Dean. It shows the indigenous plants of the Taranaki forest in New Zealand. British colonial settlers cleared this forest to create pastures for dairy cattle. ‘White’ examines how colonisers disregarded and attempted to erase Indigenous and local Māori knowledge crucial to the healthy maintenance of the land.

Photograph of an art installation in gallery space. It's a dark space with black glossy floors and walls. Floating on island-like structures within the space are vibrant coloured lights of greens, purples, oranges and reds. On these structures are busy vignettes, a fridge with it's door open and reams of tape spilling out, a large parachute suspended from the ceiling and a large desk covered in a laptop, telephones and wires. — 11 of 11
Hospital milk banks have distributed human donor milk for many years, but recently, sales of human milk have proliferated online. This installation by performance artist Jess Dobkin includes objects and images collected during her research, as well as a soundtrack featuring conversations with her collaborators. Entitled ‘For What It’s Worth’, Dobkin’s work invites you to consider the politics and ethics of selling and exchanging human milk in the 21st century.

Exhibition guide

A digital exhibition guide, with audio description, British Sign Language and captions and transcripts is available to use on your own phone or device. You can access the guide using QR codes in the gallery, and there is a tactile line on the gallery floor to guide you between stops.

These downloadable documents contain information to help you plan and prepare for your visit:

Visual story (PDF 3860kb)

Sensory map of the exhibition gallery (PDF 626kb)

‘Deeper in the Pyramid: Share of Throat’ is a publication by Melanie Jackson and Esther Leslie accompanying their installation in the exhibition.

Download the complete publication (PDF 15135kb).

Download an accessible text-only version (PDF 760kb).