Thirteen Ways of Looking

The term ‘Thawra’ gained notoriety in the protests of the Arab Spring in the early 2010s. The work comprises a pattern woven through columns of gold thread.  An unwoven outline of Alaa Salah, one of many Sudanese women leading protests against the Sudanese government in April 2019, is central to the work.    

 A response to activism and artworks about black lives, violence and racism which were circulated by an international - mostly younger generation. “This body is consumed and rocked by sadness, anger and heartbreak as I hear of killings and brutality – by police, by politicians’ lack of caring, by abhorrent cronyism, by white privilege.” Roshini Kempadoo        

Navi Kaur's '5:22pm' comprises two short films that place narratives of minoritized voices at their centre - in this case the Punjabi traditions housed in modern day Britain. The work is inspired by the lives of Kaur’s grandparents. It shows their daily routines and their dedication to their Sikh faith, despite being unable to visit the Gurdwara during the lockdown period.    

The piece centres on golden bangles which are often gifted to Pakistani women on their wedding day, as a symbol of trust and value. Butt reworks these bangles, intertwining them with pieces of ‘dupatta’, an adorned red scarf that forms part of the bride’s traditional wedding attire.      

The artist seeks to break up the exhibition space and decentre the audience from the traditional utilisation of gallery spaces. The nature of the materials and the way that they have been assembled conveys the notion of something that is both ‘under construction’ and confused. Experimenting with the boundaries between installation and painting is central to Serra Delmar’s work.            

... including the initial meeting of members Eddie Chambers and Keith Piper 40 years ago as students at Coventry University. The group provided a foundation upon which there emerged artists of South Asian, African and Afro-Caribbean descent, making artwork that formed part of the ‘Black Arts Movement’.         

The research and artworks reflect Fatta’s experience of going through the United Nation’s Buffer Zone (or Green Line) in the capital Lefkosia, which remains the only divided capital in the world. The Buffer Zone/Green Line divides Cyprus into north and south. Alongside two films, a green line runs through the gallery space from east to west, mirroring that of the island. 

Li was inspired by the ancient Chinese philosophical narrative ‘A Butterfly Dream’ by Chinese philosopher Chuang Tzu, which highlights tensions between illusion and reality.    

The work presents Black women as neuro-scientists using the space of the beauty salon as a revolutionary underground system for a fundamentally new shared exchange of ideas. With 'NSAF', Black women are the pioneers of brain optimization.