B.

From the permanent collection of the British Council come 20 paintings by contemporary British artists. Cries and Whispers is mainly made up of figurative paintings containing symbolist references to contemporary British society. The works exemplify the painterly style of the 1980s. Some works hit home with their truthful depiction of Britain in that decade; for instance, Mark Wallinger's The Bottom Line depicts 'poverty and wealth, the exploitation of one class by another, and the use of powerful myths to conceal the true state of affairs and keep the status quo' (p.42, catalogue).

('Cries and Whispers: New Works from the British Council Collection', Bulletin, No.71, p.2)