Kindly Ease The Tension - a solo exhibition by artist and cartoonist David Shenton, curated by Ian Giles at Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery

I went to the opening of the exhibition Kindly Ease The Tension at Norwich Castle last Friday. I was looking forward to it. I have not met David Shenton before but have been aware of him on local social media where he has been running knitting sessions in the Millennium Library. He was there at Norwich Castle and I did speak with him. He is a modest and charming man who has clearly had a major impact on the fairness and attitudes to LGBTQ+ communities in a humorous and kind, but very effective way over many decades.

His artwork uses many different types of media from glitter to yarn, from marker pen to paint. What is common is humour, colour, texture and great skill as an illustrator in any medium. The exhibition was opened with a number of speeches, including a most moving tribute by curator Ian Giles, a young gay, married father who attributes his ability to live his life in a way that he feels happy and comfortable with to people such as David who fought the cause in earlier decades.

The exhibition is an artwork itself. Ian worked closely with Norfolk Museums curator Ruth Battersby and her team and the set-up looks mind-bogglingly complex. There is a large frieze of works around the top of the room showing cartoons and other works, plus a cabinet of memorabilia. A Gansey hanging from the ceiling, Davids work desk and a sideboard from his home. It is an ultimately personal record of a life and if I were David, I would feel very proud indeed.