Hello from an endlessly grey and wet London, hopefully, the below suggestions will act as an antidote to some of the wild and dystopian happenings of the past few weeks.
EXPLORE
Europe is sliding headfirst into a series of Covid lockdowns and restrictions so back to the full-on digital experience we go. Luckily along comes As Told By Us - a short film festival and visual experience featuring over 20 established and emerging Black creatives from across the African diaspora conceived by Afriquette, FABA and Melanin Unscripted.
Screening tonight and Sunday afternoon the digital programme features “two compilations of short films exploring identity, creativity, culture, lifestyle, art, revolution, liberation, music, and opinions from Black creators around the world”. As the title would suggest the project was borne out of a necessity to reclaim an authentic narrative too often misrepresented and misconstrued as a monolith by those outside the culture.
Tickets are only $10.00 with 40% of that going directly to social impact organisation Rise in Light.
VISIT
London’s first mostly digital Frieze Week came to a close last weekend and brought with it an almost overwhelming wave of new exhibitions. I suspect it was always like this but having spent the last 6 months mostly engaging with art through a screen it was definitely an adjustment, albeit a welcome one.
The Mayfair galleries have really stepped up and brought an exciting range of artists into their spaces. What’s great is that they’re so close together you could visit them all in an afternoon, I’ve listed my favourites below for your h’enjoyment but there are many more on the route:
Rashid Johnson @ Hauser and Wirth - Expansive paintings and intricate mosaics that are arresting and humbling in both scale and detail make up Rashid’s solo show Waves.
Living Just Enough @ Goodman Gallery - Arthur Jafa, Sonia Boyce and Faith Ringgold join an all-star line up of artists whose practices are inextricably intertwined with activism.
Nathaniel Mary Quinn @ Gagosian - Quinn compares his creative process to the Exquisite Corpse method, the result is a series of surreal and visceral composite portraits. You can watch a timelapse of him working HERE.
25 Years @ Stephen Friedman - New and historic works spanning both of the gallery’s Old Burlington St buildings celebrate highlights from their 25 year history. Expect to find amazing pieces by Kehinde Wiley, Deborah Roberts and Denzil Forrester.
Portia Zvavahera @ David Zwirner - You’ll have to make your way past two rooms of monotonous Josh Smith paintings (no shade, just my opinion) to find these beautiful and delicately layered canvasses that blend washes of painting with printmaking.
If you’ve got energy left you can head south to the Royal Academy for their annual Summer Show the second room of which features some epic work from Wangechi Mutu, Zanele Muholi and Chris Ofili. Alternatively, venture north to the Frieze Sculpture Park where Lubaina Himid’s stunning reclaimed vintage door paintings clearly steal the show. The former requires pre-booking and the latter is only open until 18th October.
WATCH
I managed to get tickets to the preview of Mangrove last week through the Caramel Film Club who have spent many years organising preview screenings often followed by Q&A’s with cast members and directors. Give them a follow on Facebook or Instagram if you’re not doing so already.
Based on true events and set in 1970’s Notting Hill against a backdrop of racist police terror Mangrove follows the convergent path of a desperately needed community restaurant and one of the seminal moments of the British Black Panther Movement. The story culminates in what became known as the trial of the Mangrove Nine who were a group of activists wrongly accused of incitement to riot. Steve McQueen’s directorial hand is a stroke of genius and both Letitia Wright and Shaun Parkes give unforgettable performances.
The story is a perfect example of why we have to continue to lobby for a curriculum that accurately teaches the full breadth of this country’s history. The trial has been described as “a landmark event in the irresistible rise of multiracial Britain” yet you’re unlikely to find it mentioned in the majority of UK classrooms. In some ways, it’s so fitting that the series launch has coincided with the only break in Notting Hill Carnival’s 54 year history. It has for me at least been an opportunity to pause, re-centre and re-evaluate how I can respectfully engage with an incredible slice of London culture that would not exist without the generosity and resilience of Britains West Indian community.
Mangrove along with the rest of the Small Axe series will stream on BBC One and Amazon Prime in November (10 points for accessibility). In the meantime, if you want to read up on the history of the Mangrove Nine this BBC article by Ashley John-Baptiste provides a really excellent overview.
Magda xxx