Inside out: the sad prospect for the family of artist NDP Fraser is to find a new home for his many works of arts, which brightened up the day for countless passers-by
There was a one-day-only, not-to-be-missed art exhibition in a house on Portland Road. KEN TOWL made sure he didn’t miss it
Portrait of the artist: NDP Fraser lived on Portland Road for more than 25 years
I went to Portland Road the other Saturday, to see what was behind the net curtains.
For many years, the front of what was once The Express Dairy Company Limited (the sign is still there) featured changing displays of strange assemblies of found objects, parts of toys, teeth, doctored photographs, memento mori and a miscellany of everything else.
People who passed by on their way to work or on the way to the shops would stop and look and some of them posted notes through the door to the recluse within.
I found some of these notes pinned to the living room wall.
‘Fish and Ship’: one of several surreal assemblages
For once the door was open, and I had slipped in to be met by a volunteer from the South Norwood Community Kitchen, I was asked how I heard about the exhibition of “surreal assemblages” within. Of course, I said, “Inside Croydon”.
Fan mail: Fraser attracted a decent collection of notes of appreciation
I was told that the artist’s brother was upstairs and that he would be happy to give me more information.
The artist and resident of Portland Road for more than 25 years, NDP Fraser, died in May 2024.
He has left a houseful of art behind. Keith Fraser, his brother, is executor of his brother’s will and needs to find a home – or homes – for the art so that he can sell the property on behalf of his brother’s beneficiaries.
And so, for a day, and with the collaboration of the SNCK, he opened up the house, partly to give his brother’s neighbours a last chance to see the works that, piece by piece, some of them had admired during the quarter century that Neil Fraser had been in residence, and partly to see if he could attract the attention of a collector.
Sad task: Keith Fraser is seeking a home for his brother’s works
If not, the work will go into storage and the search will continue. Keith is candid about the fact that he knows little about the art world and is open to advice.
The work itself is interesting (if not terribly well-lit) and runs along a spectrum from darkly disturbing to light and amusing.
There are what appear to be mutilated forms underneath an all-seeing eye inside a metal casing and there is a fish-shaped cup that shares a glass case with a Russian battleship, the piece entitled “Fish and Ship”.
To give an idea, other standout titles are “What trees whisper about”, “Trunk in a box” and “Stomach butterfly”. I particularly liked “Mirror box flash”, a warmly illuminated miniature room inside a box.
Every home should have one: some of Fraser’s works are hard to describe…
The notes from the public were a delight, too, evidence that this artist had given something unique to his community. “Dear Lovely Window Owner,” said one from 10 years ago. “What a happy moment it always gives me to pass your window.”
Another reads “Thank you for brightening my walk to work for the last few years. My curiosity has got the better of me and I would love to know: are you an artist?”
Another is more confident. “Dear Artist, I have enjoyed your artistic creations… I would like you to know how much pleasure they have given me over the years.”
Another one reads poignantly, “Hello, I don’t live here anymore, so rarely get to see your amazing creations, which make me feel optimistic during a difficult time.”
In need of a good home: NDP Fraser’s works have gone into storage for now
I knew what they meant.
You couldn’t help but come away from an exhibition like this feeling a little bit cheered up, a little bit positive about the world in these trying times.
I wondered, as I took the 312 back down to Addiscombe, whether it would find a home where people could see it and enjoy it.
Maybe Croydon Council could display it in the Clocktower gallery or Croydon Museum?
Someone at the council appears to have creative imagination. They must have, given that, much to the amusement of locals, the council saw fit to have the Mayor (the elected one, not the ceremonial one) unveil a plaque that glorifies the creation of a pedestrian crossing that replaces the previous pedestrian subway, and sits barely a hundred yards from another crossing.
If Perry’s plaque isn’t a “surreal assemblage”, then I’d like to know what is.
Read more by Ken Towl
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- Our journey through Beaujolais provided a nouveau experience
- Visit Croydon Art Space to help brighten grey days of winter
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why can’t the executer of the will the artists brother Keith Fraser should donate or lend a few pieces to the Croydon museum.
its a shame its just stored away and not shown.