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Mornington Crescent Station, NW1 2JA |
As a queer artist with Cameroonian heritage, born in Cardiff, raised in Reading and the Ivory Coast, and now living in Glasgow, my personal Black history combines conflicting extremes of privilege, which have left me feeling unsettled in every culture. There is also the dizzying conflict of being bisexual whilst being raised in spaces filled with ambient homophobia, and growing up in the relatively liberal UK whilst knowing Cameroon’s homophobia to be an inherently colonialist, Christian and eurocentric conceit. The reasons for this internal conflict cannot be erased, but I would like to evolve them into something celebratory, both for myself, and for other queer Cameroonians.
My globe depicts an interpretation of Toghu cloth, the traditional textile of Cameroon. This is typically made of black velvet and richly embroidered in red, gold and white chain stitching. I have chosen to depict this embroidery in pink. Queerness will be literally embroidered into the fabric of Cameroon, forcing the viewer to grapple with the complexity of my community. I have also included a repeated motif of a carved wooden mask, which is based on a fourteenth century Cameroonian mask currently held in the British Museum. The presence of this mask, looted from Cameroon and currently held in Britain, raises questions about which colonial imports Cameroonians choose to uphold. In an idealised world, Cameroonian homophobia would be repatriated in exchange for its priceless cultural artefacts.
In the world we currently inhabit, I believe queer Cameroonians must carve out our own versions of Cameroonian identity. The black and pink patterned globe is intended to be visually bold, taking up all the space that queer Cameroonians often cannot safely fill. I hope that it will give queer Cameroonians throughout the diaspora a sense of reclaimed power.
Kialy is an interdisciplinary artist and designer based in Glasgow. Textiles, costume and animation inform her practice, which combines and contrasts hand and digital techniques.
As a queer artist with Cameroonian heritage, born in Cardiff, raised in Reading and the Ivory Coast, and now living in Glasgow, my personal Black history combines conflicting extremes of privilege, which have left me feeling unsettled in every culture. There is also the dizzying conflict of being bisexual whilst being raised in spaces filled with ambient homophobia, and growing up in the relatively liberal UK whilst knowing Cameroon’s homophobia to be an inherently colonialist, Christian and eurocentric conceit. The reasons for this internal conflict cannot be erased, but I would like to evolve them into something celebratory, both for myself, and for other queer Cameroonians.
My globe depicts an interpretation of Toghu cloth, the traditional textile of Cameroon. This is typically made of black velvet and richly embroidered in red, gold and white chain stitching. I have chosen to depict this embroidery in pink. Queerness will be literally embroidered into the fabric of Cameroon, forcing the viewer to grapple with the complexity of my community. I have also included a repeated motif of a carved wooden mask, which is based on a fourteenth century Cameroonian mask currently held in the British Museum. The presence of this mask, looted from Cameroon and currently held in Britain, raises questions about which colonial imports Cameroonians choose to uphold. In an idealised world, Cameroonian homophobia would be repatriated in exchange for its priceless cultural artefacts.
In the world we currently inhabit, I believe queer Cameroonians must carve out our own versions of Cameroonian identity. The black and pink patterned globe is intended to be visually bold, taking up all the space that queer Cameroonians often cannot safely fill. I hope that it will give queer Cameroonians throughout the diaspora a sense of reclaimed power.
Kialy is an interdisciplinary artist and designer based in Glasgow. Textiles, costume and animation inform her practice, which combines and contrasts hand and digital techniques.
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Goldington Crescent Gardens, NW1 1TU |
My globe design is based on jute fibre ropes. It is impossible to ignore the narrative these objects speak to, particularly as historically many British rope-making firms were also managing slave voyages. Ropes like the ones on this globe could have been used to transport human cargo. People were enslaved and bought in exchange for goods shipped in the most vicious and inhumane ways across the Atlantic.
These objects hold on to the stories of violence, oppression, and inhumanity that are inexorably linked to the history of the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans. Not only are they witnesses to the brutal legacy of imperialism, they serve as lasting symbols of the exploitation and cruelty of European colonialists in their displays of power over the Black body.
Used to bind and tie the globe, they demonstrate the centrality of the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans and the vastness of a racist system that continues to restrain, tether and oppress bodies of colour that are viewed as ‘other’. The history of slavery touches every one of us in all corners of the world. The false reality established on the deceits and betrayals of imperialism must be challenged and retold.
In foregrounding the reality of being enslaved by using ropes to bind the globe I want to make clear the devastating and brutal legacy of slavery. It is our past and present, and the truth of this history must continue to be told and heard in full if we are to create a future that offers new possibilities; one that nurtures, supports and enables Brown and Black bodies to make meanings that demand changed social, cultural and political landscapes.
Sohaila Baluch is an artist and writer with a research based practice that draws from feminist strategies to unite craft traditions with fine art practice. Her work engages with durational practices, working with materials and processes that privilege the notion of gendered labour with a poetic intensity; to challenge the dominant aesthetics and discourse of Western patriarchy. Her work incorporates print, mixed media, installation, performance, text and moving image. Sohaila is a Phd Candidate at the Royal College of Art, London, UK. Her research is focussed on disrupting dominant narratives that tell racialised bodies they do not belong through a feminist activist practice that uses difference as a mode of resistance and re-imagining.
My globe design is based on jute fibre ropes. It is impossible to ignore the narrative these objects speak to, particularly as historically many British rope-making firms were also managing slave voyages. Ropes like the ones on this globe could have been used to transport human cargo. People were enslaved and bought in exchange for goods shipped in the most vicious and inhumane ways across the Atlantic.
These objects hold on to the stories of violence, oppression, and inhumanity that are inexorably linked to the history of the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans. Not only are they witnesses to the brutal legacy of imperialism, they serve as lasting symbols of the exploitation and cruelty of European colonialists in their displays of power over the Black body.
Used to bind and tie the globe, they demonstrate the centrality of the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans and the vastness of a racist system that continues to restrain, tether and oppress bodies of colour that are viewed as ‘other’. The history of slavery touches every one of us in all corners of the world. The false reality established on the deceits and betrayals of imperialism must be challenged and retold.
In foregrounding the reality of being enslaved by using ropes to bind the globe I want to make clear the devastating and brutal legacy of slavery. It is our past and present, and the truth of this history must continue to be told and heard in full if we are to create a future that offers new possibilities; one that nurtures, supports and enables Brown and Black bodies to make meanings that demand changed social, cultural and political landscapes.
Sohaila Baluch is an artist and writer with a research based practice that draws from feminist strategies to unite craft traditions with fine art practice. Her work engages with durational practices, working with materials and processes that privilege the notion of gendered labour with a poetic intensity; to challenge the dominant aesthetics and discourse of Western patriarchy. Her work incorporates print, mixed media, installation, performance, text and moving image. Sohaila is a Phd Candidate at the Royal College of Art, London, UK. Her research is focussed on disrupting dominant narratives that tell racialised bodies they do not belong through a feminist activist practice that uses difference as a mode of resistance and re-imagining.
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St Pancras International |
Beneath The Surface celebrates the contributions people of the African diaspora have made in Camden. For many people, the London borough is a bustling cultural zone where food markets can be seen alongside alternative music influences. While Camden has a rich history, much of its Black history dwells beneath the surface. Its powerful Black stories should be at the forefront of this popular tourist location not pushed underground.
With this in mind, Power Out of Restriction teamed up with the local community to develop a globe design that carefully speaks to the local Black community. Camden has a strong history of fighting for equality and is by far one of the most diverse areas in the country.
Beneath The Surface aims to highlight this while simultaneously educating people on local figures. The globe encompasses key Black people in the area such as Beryl Gilroy, Camden’s first Black headteacher; the borough’s new mayor Sabrina Francis; and Oscar-winning actor Daniel Kaluuya. The design consists of key movements, people, and places that Black people have influenced and changed for the better. Vibrant colours are juxtaposed against a bold background where silhouettes of key moments in Camden’s Black history can be found.
Beneath The Surface looks at the past and present of Camden while also looking ahead. It honours the local Black community and their stories while beginning to unpack hidden histories.
Power Out of Restriction (POoR) is a social enterprise that focuses on the development of communities through the elevation of young people. POoR sees the power of the younger generation and seeks to get young voices heard.
Beneath The Surface celebrates the contributions people of the African diaspora have made in Camden. For many people, the London borough is a bustling cultural zone where food markets can be seen alongside alternative music influences. While Camden has a rich history, much of its Black history dwells beneath the surface. Its powerful Black stories should be at the forefront of this popular tourist location not pushed underground.
With this in mind, Power Out of Restriction teamed up with the local community to develop a globe design that carefully speaks to the local Black community. Camden has a strong history of fighting for equality and is by far one of the most diverse areas in the country.
Beneath The Surface aims to highlight this while simultaneously educating people on local figures. The globe encompasses key Black people in the area such as Beryl Gilroy, Camden’s first Black headteacher; the borough’s new mayor Sabrina Francis; and Oscar-winning actor Daniel Kaluuya. The design consists of key movements, people, and places that Black people have influenced and changed for the better. Vibrant colours are juxtaposed against a bold background where silhouettes of key moments in Camden’s Black history can be found.
Beneath The Surface looks at the past and present of Camden while also looking ahead. It honours the local Black community and their stories while beginning to unpack hidden histories.
Power Out of Restriction (POoR) is a social enterprise that focuses on the development of communities through the elevation of young people. POoR sees the power of the younger generation and seeks to get young voices heard.
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Brunswick Square, WC1N 1LZ |
This globe represents the church’s central involvement in slavery. It kept enslaved people in bondage when it could have freed them. The profit from slavery also contributed to the church, funding buildings that represent the legacy of the institution today.
This globe has been painted with flat colours: gold highlights the profit, blue is the Atlantic ocean, whilst the purple band represents the church, surrounding and arching over the globe. The constellations represent the imbalance of justice for the enslaved and the trade routes navigated by the ships. The compass points to the four poles; injustice, plantation, church and shipping.
An artist working predominantly in printmaking and illustration, Gregory works in traditional lino prints and digital illustration and is inspired by forms found in architecture and nature.
This globe represents the church’s central involvement in slavery. It kept enslaved people in bondage when it could have freed them. The profit from slavery also contributed to the church, funding buildings that represent the legacy of the institution today.
This globe has been painted with flat colours: gold highlights the profit, blue is the Atlantic ocean, whilst the purple band represents the church, surrounding and arching over the globe. The constellations represent the imbalance of justice for the enslaved and the trade routes navigated by the ships. The compass points to the four poles; injustice, plantation, church and shipping.
An artist working predominantly in printmaking and illustration, Gregory works in traditional lino prints and digital illustration and is inspired by forms found in architecture and nature.
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Lincoln's Inn Fields, WC2A 2AA |
They say emancipation, and yet we continue to exist in their constructed world – rooted in, tethered to, and reliant on conditions of unfreedom. So we imagine new worlds; we imagine freedom. We cultivate methodologies, safety mechanisms, loving ecosystems, refusals, creativity, joy; all in an attempt to live freely in the wake. But what is this? Are we singing, or are we screaming?
My figurative and interdisciplinary practice explores modalities of freedom, migration, contested histories and imagined futures through a Black feminist and multilayered, diasporic lens, denoting a commitment of care for how we see ourselves and each other.
Phoebe Boswell’s figurative and interdisciplinary practice explores modalities of freedom, migration, contested histories and imagined futures through a black feminist and multilayered, diasporic lens, denoting a commitment of care for how we see ourselves and each other. Working intuitively across media, she centres drawing but spans animation, sound, video, writing, interactivity, performance and chorality to create layered, immersive installations which affect and are affected by the environments they occupy, by time, the serendipity of loops, and the presence of the audience. Boswell’s drawings, installations and film & video works have been exhibited widely internationally and are held in collections including the UK Government Art Collection, the BFI National Archive and The Studio Museum, New York.
They say emancipation, and yet we continue to exist in their constructed world – rooted in, tethered to, and reliant on conditions of unfreedom. So we imagine new worlds; we imagine freedom. We cultivate methodologies, safety mechanisms, loving ecosystems, refusals, creativity, joy; all in an attempt to live freely in the wake. But what is this? Are we singing, or are we screaming?
My figurative and interdisciplinary practice explores modalities of freedom, migration, contested histories and imagined futures through a Black feminist and multilayered, diasporic lens, denoting a commitment of care for how we see ourselves and each other.
Phoebe Boswell’s figurative and interdisciplinary practice explores modalities of freedom, migration, contested histories and imagined futures through a black feminist and multilayered, diasporic lens, denoting a commitment of care for how we see ourselves and each other. Working intuitively across media, she centres drawing but spans animation, sound, video, writing, interactivity, performance and chorality to create layered, immersive installations which affect and are affected by the environments they occupy, by time, the serendipity of loops, and the presence of the audience. Boswell’s drawings, installations and film & video works have been exhibited widely internationally and are held in collections including the UK Government Art Collection, the BFI National Archive and The Studio Museum, New York.
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Shelton St / Neal St, WC@H 9LJ |
Nadia Akingbule is an illustrator from London, working predominantly with themes relating to minority representation and activism. Alongside colourful editorial illustration, she specialises in portraiture, often referencing her experience as a person of dual heritage in her practice. Nadia’s work is diverse in content and context, spanning across workshops, branding and publication design, as well as editorial, commercial and book illustration.
Nadia Akingbule is an illustrator from London, working predominantly with themes relating to minority representation and activism. Alongside colourful editorial illustration, she specialises in portraiture, often referencing her experience as a person of dual heritage in her practice. Nadia’s work is diverse in content and context, spanning across workshops, branding and publication design, as well as editorial, commercial and book illustration.
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Covent Garden Piazza |
Toussaint Louverture, the subject of my globe, was truly inspirational. Toussaint fought to end slavery in Hispaniola and make men of all colours equal. He was the leader of the first and only successful uprising of Black enslaved people and was idolised by his many followers.
Born into slavery in San-Domingue (present day Haiti) in 1743, he rose to become Governor General of Hispaniola. Through his intelligent leadership, personal charisma and absolute determination, and with his loyal band of ‘sans-culottes’ rebel soldiers, he outwitted the well-equipped armies of Spain, Britain and Napoleonic France; creating the first free independent state of Haiti. Toussaint was able to negotiate extremely favourable trade terms with America for San-Domingue because they felt so threatened by the rebellion, fearing the successful uprising might encourage similar events in its own enslaved populations.
My globe tells the story of Haiti’s fight for freedom under Toussaint’s selfless leadership, and his generosity of spirit in contrast with the greed and acquisitiveness of those world powers who sought to profit from the triangular trade in people and commodities. With it, I hope to celebrate the remarkable achievements of this man and bring knowledge of him to a wider British audience. I have chosen to work in a flat graphic and silhouette style because Toussaint’s heroic acts of ‘derring do’ and legendary achievements remind me of comic strip superheroes. I have reflected the triangular trade in the quasi African wax cloth designs that pattern the continents.
Atop the globe is an Adinkra symbol design based on ‘sankofa’, which teaches the wisdom of learning from the past in order to move forward.
My work is a fusion of painting and textile art, narrative and politics. I like to paint with stitch, draw with my sewing machine and weave my painted canvases with ethnically related textiles. Current affairs, people and politics are my inspiration. I work either in oils or acrylics on canvas or stitch and dyes on silks. The subject matter dictates the medium. My techniques are experimental and ever evolving. Line, movement and narrative content are important elements in my work that takes the form of kimono, wall hangings, soft sculptures and paintings.
Toussaint Louverture, the subject of my globe, was truly inspirational. Toussaint fought to end slavery in Hispaniola and make men of all colours equal. He was the leader of the first and only successful uprising of Black enslaved people and was idolised by his many followers.
Born into slavery in San-Domingue (present day Haiti) in 1743, he rose to become Governor General of Hispaniola. Through his intelligent leadership, personal charisma and absolute determination, and with his loyal band of ‘sans-culottes’ rebel soldiers, he outwitted the well-equipped armies of Spain, Britain and Napoleonic France; creating the first free independent state of Haiti. Toussaint was able to negotiate extremely favourable trade terms with America for San-Domingue because they felt so threatened by the rebellion, fearing the successful uprising might encourage similar events in its own enslaved populations.
My globe tells the story of Haiti’s fight for freedom under Toussaint’s selfless leadership, and his generosity of spirit in contrast with the greed and acquisitiveness of those world powers who sought to profit from the triangular trade in people and commodities. With it, I hope to celebrate the remarkable achievements of this man and bring knowledge of him to a wider British audience. I have chosen to work in a flat graphic and silhouette style because Toussaint’s heroic acts of ‘derring do’ and legendary achievements remind me of comic strip superheroes. I have reflected the triangular trade in the quasi African wax cloth designs that pattern the continents.
Atop the globe is an Adinkra symbol design based on ‘sankofa’, which teaches the wisdom of learning from the past in order to move forward.
My work is a fusion of painting and textile art, narrative and politics. I like to paint with stitch, draw with my sewing machine and weave my painted canvases with ethnically related textiles. Current affairs, people and politics are my inspiration. I work either in oils or acrylics on canvas or stitch and dyes on silks. The subject matter dictates the medium. My techniques are experimental and ever evolving. Line, movement and narrative content are important elements in my work that takes the form of kimono, wall hangings, soft sculptures and paintings.
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St Paul's Church, Covent Garden WC2E 9ED |
A community-focused designer, architect and founder of Lobrum London. A Sierra Leone born UK based Creative Director and Storyteller.
A community-focused designer, architect and founder of Lobrum London. A Sierra Leone born UK based Creative Director and Storyteller.
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Victoria Embankment Gardens |
The dreams of those who sailed across the sea /Shine Bright/ The dreams of souls in the belly of the beast/ Shine Bright.
Shine Bright inverts our gaze to evoke an uninhabited space in our imagination. Here, down is up, west is east. A new perspective, a dislocated world view for Africa and the Atlantic, familiar yet not so. We know this place, but in this altered globe there is a shift in relations, a rubbing against the nominative imposition of our identities, our cultures, our texts, our histories, our nations and our attachment to them.
Do we still belong, do we still own these nominative identities? Do you see it, do you touch it, feel it, east is west. Mother sea and Father land. Freedom dreamt as property is today’s lived emancipated joy?
European histories and colonisation are dark fictions in an Afrosurrealist future where the traces and formations of a transatlantic culture have become the cultural metres of the planet. The inverted globe subverts our gaze and sense of belonging to the earth as we know it, and the only mapping other than the dark sea and the red earth is the appreciation of the cultural texts created by the descendants of those who made the transatlantic journey in chrome.
This appreciation is the shining of Samba, of Salsa and Soul, it is the shining of Blues, Bebop and Boogie, Reggae, Jazz, Calypso, Funk, Afrobeat, HipHop and Carnival. All shine brightly on the earth. Caporiera and the legacies of Gospel, Vodun, Santeria, Candomble and Jazz, Jerk, Jambalaya and Gumbo glisten and migrate across the earth; to Europe, the Americas, Asia, Oceana as well as the cultural return beat to Africa.
We sparkle, diamonds in the blackness of the Atlantic, diamonds sprinkled on the blood red lands. Shine bright.
London born Geoffrey is an interdisciplanary artist, musician and film maker. Winner of the inaugeral Brixton Open Art Award he has exhibited his work in London, New York, Honolulu, Sao Paolo, Rio and Sydney. His short film “Prove It” was shown at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.
http://www.geoffreychambers.com
The dreams of those who sailed across the sea /Shine Bright/ The dreams of souls in the belly of the beast/ Shine Bright.
Shine Bright inverts our gaze to evoke an uninhabited space in our imagination. Here, down is up, west is east. A new perspective, a dislocated world view for Africa and the Atlantic, familiar yet not so. We know this place, but in this altered globe there is a shift in relations, a rubbing against the nominative imposition of our identities, our cultures, our texts, our histories, our nations and our attachment to them.
Do we still belong, do we still own these nominative identities? Do you see it, do you touch it, feel it, east is west. Mother sea and Father land. Freedom dreamt as property is today’s lived emancipated joy?
European histories and colonisation are dark fictions in an Afrosurrealist future where the traces and formations of a transatlantic culture have become the cultural metres of the planet. The inverted globe subverts our gaze and sense of belonging to the earth as we know it, and the only mapping other than the dark sea and the red earth is the appreciation of the cultural texts created by the descendants of those who made the transatlantic journey in chrome.
This appreciation is the shining of Samba, of Salsa and Soul, it is the shining of Blues, Bebop and Boogie, Reggae, Jazz, Calypso, Funk, Afrobeat, HipHop and Carnival. All shine brightly on the earth. Caporiera and the legacies of Gospel, Vodun, Santeria, Candomble and Jazz, Jerk, Jambalaya and Gumbo glisten and migrate across the earth; to Europe, the Americas, Asia, Oceana as well as the cultural return beat to Africa.
We sparkle, diamonds in the blackness of the Atlantic, diamonds sprinkled on the blood red lands. Shine bright.
London born Geoffrey is an interdisciplanary artist, musician and film maker. Winner of the inaugeral Brixton Open Art Award he has exhibited his work in London, New York, Honolulu, Sao Paolo, Rio and Sydney. His short film “Prove It” was shown at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.
http://www.geoffreychambers.com
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Westminster Abbey |
My globe represents the deep-rooted connection between racial justice and climate justice - two of the most urgent issues of the twenty-first century. It is widely accepted that there is an intrinsic connection between the historic oppression of people, and the exploitation and plunder of the world’s natural resources.
My globe is enveloped by the Guiana Shield; one of the largest remaining intact rainforests on earth, a protective sanctuary between heaven and earth, the difference between life and death. Above the rainforest, atop my globe, the sky is bursting with black and brown angels embellished with 24 karat gold. Beneath the forest is the sea and a map which reimagines the world as a water lily. My globe’s theme is the last stage on The Journey of Discovery.
I hope that as we work together to recognise our shared history of the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans, my artwork will serve as a reminder that harnessing the possibilities of our future rely on us acknowledging how that history has shaped our present. My globe ultimately represents hope. We are still blessed to have the opportunity to preserve the Guiana Shield, the 'lungs' of the earth, and all the wonderful secrets it holds.
Nicola Green is a critically acclaimed artist, social historian and public speaker. Green has established an international reputation for her ambitious and insightful projects that can change perceptions and challenge prevailing narratives of identity, power, leadership, race and gender. Green has a unique perspective, driven by her belief in the capacity of the visual image to communicate important human stories. She chooses to assume the role of ‘witness’ to momentous occasions taking place across the globe, and creates and preserves social-cultural heritage for future generations.
Green gained global recognition for her seminal project In Seven Days…. which resulted from her unprecedented artistic access to Barack Obama’s 2008 Presidential campaign. With a front row seat to historic events, Green created a complex visual legacy of this moment in history, which constantly evolves in its dialogue with the future Green’s project, Encounters, was a ground-breaking exhibition of over fifty portraits of the world’s most prominent religious leaders. A global story, it is unique in its depiction of the world’s major religions together for the first time in art history and without hierarchy. Sitters included Pope Francis, the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Pope Benedict XVI.
Green is dedicated to social impact and has worked tirelessly towards creating positive change and equality in the artworld and beyond. Green co-founded and directed the Diaspora Pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale, showcasing 22 artists from culturally diverse backgrounds. Green also founded the Khadija Saye Arts programme at IntoUniversity which addresses the issue of BAME representation in the creative industries. As co-founder of Sophia Point Rainforest Research Centre, Green has championed the preservation and exploration of the Guiana Shield, the largest remaining pristine rainforest on earth. Green has mentored many aspiring young artists and is the Patron of Women in Art.
My globe represents the deep-rooted connection between racial justice and climate justice - two of the most urgent issues of the twenty-first century. It is widely accepted that there is an intrinsic connection between the historic oppression of people, and the exploitation and plunder of the world’s natural resources.
My globe is enveloped by the Guiana Shield; one of the largest remaining intact rainforests on earth, a protective sanctuary between heaven and earth, the difference between life and death. Above the rainforest, atop my globe, the sky is bursting with black and brown angels embellished with 24 karat gold. Beneath the forest is the sea and a map which reimagines the world as a water lily. My globe’s theme is the last stage on The Journey of Discovery.
I hope that as we work together to recognise our shared history of the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans, my artwork will serve as a reminder that harnessing the possibilities of our future rely on us acknowledging how that history has shaped our present. My globe ultimately represents hope. We are still blessed to have the opportunity to preserve the Guiana Shield, the 'lungs' of the earth, and all the wonderful secrets it holds.
Nicola Green is a critically acclaimed artist, social historian and public speaker. Green has established an international reputation for her ambitious and insightful projects that can change perceptions and challenge prevailing narratives of identity, power, leadership, race and gender. Green has a unique perspective, driven by her belief in the capacity of the visual image to communicate important human stories. She chooses to assume the role of ‘witness’ to momentous occasions taking place across the globe, and creates and preserves social-cultural heritage for future generations.
Green gained global recognition for her seminal project In Seven Days…. which resulted from her unprecedented artistic access to Barack Obama’s 2008 Presidential campaign. With a front row seat to historic events, Green created a complex visual legacy of this moment in history, which constantly evolves in its dialogue with the future Green’s project, Encounters, was a ground-breaking exhibition of over fifty portraits of the world’s most prominent religious leaders. A global story, it is unique in its depiction of the world’s major religions together for the first time in art history and without hierarchy. Sitters included Pope Francis, the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Pope Benedict XVI.
Green is dedicated to social impact and has worked tirelessly towards creating positive change and equality in the artworld and beyond. Green co-founded and directed the Diaspora Pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale, showcasing 22 artists from culturally diverse backgrounds. Green also founded the Khadija Saye Arts programme at IntoUniversity which addresses the issue of BAME representation in the creative industries. As co-founder of Sophia Point Rainforest Research Centre, Green has championed the preservation and exploration of the Guiana Shield, the largest remaining pristine rainforest on earth. Green has mentored many aspiring young artists and is the Patron of Women in Art.
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The Terrace, Cardinal Place |
My paintings embody an afro-fem-centrist consciousness, sharing muted narratives and projecting Black women’s lived experience. I am invested in producing layered, figurative, compositions embedded with symbols and scientific metaphors that centralise Black womanhood as a source of knowledge and understanding.
Enamoured by African spirituality, Christian iconography and renaissance art, I employ its purpose of cultural impact, liturgy and instruction for an improved society within my works. I explore the internal body as well as the external, by merging the design of notable fabrics from Africa with biological structures and chemical processes in living organisms for the backgrounds of my works and using the anatomy as a second canvas in the foreground.
My globe design presents the faces of the women of Westminster Amy Ashwood Garvey and Mary Seacole, both women have plaques in the community but I feel it is important we represent them and put faces to their names. These women led lives dedicated to the service of others and have impacted history with their work.
Shannon Bono is a multimedia-driven artist, curator, cultural writer, and MA Art & Science graduate from Central Saint Martins University 2019. Bono is invested in producing symbolic layered figurative compositions that centralise the black female body as the subject, using it as a second canvas to tell stories of intersectionality and cultural practices with oil and acrylic paints as her medium.
Her mission to advocate for the presence of black bodies is captured by the element of scale, colour, and anatomical manipulation. She re-imagines these bodies as a map of modernity employing surrealist cues to work as ‘artivisms’ (art+activism) against oppressive forces and share muted narratives.
My paintings embody an afro-fem-centrist consciousness, sharing muted narratives and projecting Black women’s lived experience. I am invested in producing layered, figurative, compositions embedded with symbols and scientific metaphors that centralise Black womanhood as a source of knowledge and understanding.
Enamoured by African spirituality, Christian iconography and renaissance art, I employ its purpose of cultural impact, liturgy and instruction for an improved society within my works. I explore the internal body as well as the external, by merging the design of notable fabrics from Africa with biological structures and chemical processes in living organisms for the backgrounds of my works and using the anatomy as a second canvas in the foreground.
My globe design presents the faces of the women of Westminster Amy Ashwood Garvey and Mary Seacole, both women have plaques in the community but I feel it is important we represent them and put faces to their names. These women led lives dedicated to the service of others and have impacted history with their work.
Shannon Bono is a multimedia-driven artist, curator, cultural writer, and MA Art & Science graduate from Central Saint Martins University 2019. Bono is invested in producing symbolic layered figurative compositions that centralise the black female body as the subject, using it as a second canvas to tell stories of intersectionality and cultural practices with oil and acrylic paints as her medium.
Her mission to advocate for the presence of black bodies is captured by the element of scale, colour, and anatomical manipulation. She re-imagines these bodies as a map of modernity employing surrealist cues to work as ‘artivisms’ (art+activism) against oppressive forces and share muted narratives.
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