The Decolonising the Arts Curriculum zine was first launched at Central Saint Martins in June 2018. Read a write-up about the event here: http://tle.myblog.arts.ac.uk/zine-launch-decolonising-the-arts-curriculum/
Exhibitions
July 2019: Decolonising the Arts Curriculum: Personal Narratives: Exhibition at Central St Martins Library
Adding to the current display of posters on display at CSM library as part of the wider Decolonising the Arts Curriculum Zine project, this exhibition presents the work of 5 artists and practitioners, all staff, students or alumni of UAL. The artists currently displaying their work are Maria Bendixen, Dr Jo Shah, Tobi Alexandra Falade, Joanna Mamede & Ana Luiza Rodrigues and Siyan Zhang.
The exhibition, which takes over the numerous displays and glass vitrines through the library brings the selected artists together to explore personal narratives in relation to decolonisation. It has been curated by Rahul Patel, who co-runs the Decolonising the Arts Curriculum Zine project.
Dr Jo Shah presents a case of 10 personal objects that describe her heritage, inviting audiences to look at the complexities of each object without judgement and take a more nuanced perspective on what being British is. Joanna Madede and Ana Luiza Rodrigues bring a version of their work ‘Face in the Hole’, which has been publicly exhibited on a number of occasions including at the Tate exchange. Joanna, who has both Brazilian and British heritage uses the occasion of the election of Jair Bolsonaro to challenge audience’s ability and willingness to associate themselves with hateful and divisive speech. Maria Bendixen exhibits a number of her own ceramic pieces that explore racism and bias, through surface text that describe personal experiences of racism. Tobi Alexandra Falade has curated a display of family photographs and artefacts that describe her personal histories that began in Nigeria and continued here in England. Through the photographic work of Siyan Zhang we can experience flavours of downtown Beijing and its rapidly disappearing spaces that are being threatened by face-paced developments.
June 2019: Language Centre responds to Decolonising the Arts Curriculum
The Age of New Babylon
November – December 2018 an exhibition and event series entitled The Age of New Babylon took place in the CSM Lethaby Gallery. This was led by zine contributors Samboleap Tol and Abbas Zahedi. Find more details on: https://ofnewbabylon.com/
Reading Groups
On 17 January 2019, 5-7pm, Reading Collections: the African-Caribbean, Asian and African Art in Britain Archive reading group met at Central Saint Martins (D107) on 17 January 2019, 5-7pm, to discuss the introduction to Black Phoenix n.1 (1978) by editors Mahmood Jamal and Rasheed Araeen.
For more information about the African-Caribbean, Asian and African Art in Britain Archive, held at Chelsea College of Arts Library, see: https://www.arts.ac.uk/students/library-services/special-collections-and-archives/chelsea-collections-and-archives