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Leicester Station, London Road, LE2 0DB |
My design responds to the theme of Mother Africa and is a celebration of African culture, spirituality, tradition, craftsmanship, communities and history and is focused on the period before the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans. I worked with closely with the collections at the International Slavery Museum between 2014 and 2019 creating artwork, learning worksheets and workshops.
This design is inspired by the West African collection held at the museum and features cultural artefacts, tools, ceremonial objects, Adinkra symbols and decorative designs from their reconstruction of an Igbo compound.
I hope that my design shines a light on the anthropological significance held by these objects, motifs and artefacts as well as the rich cultural heritage of West Africa before the atrocities born out of the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans transformed Africa.
I am obsessional about colour and pattern; as a result my work is an exploration of meticulous detail and an explosion of bright colour. Things I love illustrating – animals and wildlife, allowing me to indulge in my passion for the environment & natural science, as well as whiling away the hours creating curious characters interwoven with whimsical narratives. Above all else I enjoy drawing and creating work that allows me to escape into the world of my imagination, a place that makes me smile and in turn I hope makes others smile too.
http://www.laura-katedraws.co.uk
My design responds to the theme of Mother Africa and is a celebration of African culture, spirituality, tradition, craftsmanship, communities and history and is focused on the period before the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans. I worked with closely with the collections at the International Slavery Museum between 2014 and 2019 creating artwork, learning worksheets and workshops.
This design is inspired by the West African collection held at the museum and features cultural artefacts, tools, ceremonial objects, Adinkra symbols and decorative designs from their reconstruction of an Igbo compound.
I hope that my design shines a light on the anthropological significance held by these objects, motifs and artefacts as well as the rich cultural heritage of West Africa before the atrocities born out of the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans transformed Africa.
I am obsessional about colour and pattern; as a result my work is an exploration of meticulous detail and an explosion of bright colour. Things I love illustrating – animals and wildlife, allowing me to indulge in my passion for the environment & natural science, as well as whiling away the hours creating curious characters interwoven with whimsical narratives. Above all else I enjoy drawing and creating work that allows me to escape into the world of my imagination, a place that makes me smile and in turn I hope makes others smile too.
http://www.laura-katedraws.co.uk
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Leicester Museum & Art Gallery, New Walk, LE1 7EA |
I have always been very moved by the painting The Slave Ship by J.M.W. Turner. In his painting you see a ship in the background and hands rising out of the tumultuous waves. Turner exhibited this painting at The Royal Academy of Arts in 1840 and it was originally called Slavers Throwing overboard the Dead and Dying—Typhon coming on. It is speculated that Turner had read about the Zong ship. It haunted me, and possibly him, that after throwing enslaved people overboard due to a lack of drinking water, an insurance claim was placed on the bodies from the Zong. I was and still am deeply impacted by the treatment of humans as cargo.
In my piece I paint what happened in this scene below the surface of the water. I believe it's really important that we as a society are clear and honest about how horrific the reality of this history was and is. The hands in Turners piece were more than hands. They were humans. Mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, lovers.
I name most of my work after songs. I have named this piece How Deep Is Your Love?, after the song. It is centred around a couple holding each other as they sink. I imagined how the people who were sent to their death would have comforted each other in these last moments. I wanted to show their humanity in the face of such inhumanity.
Roy was born in Nottingham City Centre in 1958. The son of a long Distant Lorry Driver and a Lace Maker, cobbled street were still the norm. Roy’s most recent murals have been painted in Father Hudson’s Care Homes in Coleshill. With further work commissioned.
I have always been very moved by the painting The Slave Ship by J.M.W. Turner. In his painting you see a ship in the background and hands rising out of the tumultuous waves. Turner exhibited this painting at The Royal Academy of Arts in 1840 and it was originally called Slavers Throwing overboard the Dead and Dying—Typhon coming on. It is speculated that Turner had read about the Zong ship. It haunted me, and possibly him, that after throwing enslaved people overboard due to a lack of drinking water, an insurance claim was placed on the bodies from the Zong. I was and still am deeply impacted by the treatment of humans as cargo.
In my piece I paint what happened in this scene below the surface of the water. I believe it's really important that we as a society are clear and honest about how horrific the reality of this history was and is. The hands in Turners piece were more than hands. They were humans. Mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, lovers.
I name most of my work after songs. I have named this piece How Deep Is Your Love?, after the song. It is centred around a couple holding each other as they sink. I imagined how the people who were sent to their death would have comforted each other in these last moments. I wanted to show their humanity in the face of such inhumanity.
Roy was born in Nottingham City Centre in 1958. The son of a long Distant Lorry Driver and a Lace Maker, cobbled street were still the norm. Roy’s most recent murals have been painted in Father Hudson’s Care Homes in Coleshill. With further work commissioned.
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Victoria Park, Granville Road. LE1 7RY |
Our community workshop took place at the African and Caribbean Centre, and building on that essential beginning, this Globe has two sides: one inspired by Africa and another by the Caribbean.
Both feature women and connect into the expression of Black Hair: Mama Africa, rooted in the continent. The Caribbean woman's hair is braided, through which we explore the Windrush story - in the very meaningful tradition of braiding being a tool of storytelling, expression, resistance and agency.
Natasha Muluswela b. 1995 is a self-taught, Zimbabwean-born visual artist based in the United Kingdom. Muluswela studied French and Spanish at Nottingham Trent University, graduating in 2017. Her art centers around body positivity, exploring what it means to be deemed as beautiful in our society. She explores skin conditions such as vitiligo, stretch marks and ageism. Conditions which in some parts of the world are seen as shameful or have stigma tied to them.
Muluswela wants to portray how society can deem these as imperfections. Yet to her, these unique markings are a natural part of being human. Additionally, Muluswela’s works explore the human condition of migration and what it means for Africans to take-up space away from the Diaspora. Through the use of symbolism through figures, she sheds light on the deep-rooted realities of racism, discrimination and marginalisation in a post-colonial oppressive system. Challenging her views on not only Africa’s political past and present but its potential and future through art. The subject matter of each artwork determines the materials used in the piece.
http://www.artxnatasha.com/
Our community workshop took place at the African and Caribbean Centre, and building on that essential beginning, this Globe has two sides: one inspired by Africa and another by the Caribbean.
Both feature women and connect into the expression of Black Hair: Mama Africa, rooted in the continent. The Caribbean woman's hair is braided, through which we explore the Windrush story - in the very meaningful tradition of braiding being a tool of storytelling, expression, resistance and agency.
Natasha Muluswela b. 1995 is a self-taught, Zimbabwean-born visual artist based in the United Kingdom. Muluswela studied French and Spanish at Nottingham Trent University, graduating in 2017. Her art centers around body positivity, exploring what it means to be deemed as beautiful in our society. She explores skin conditions such as vitiligo, stretch marks and ageism. Conditions which in some parts of the world are seen as shameful or have stigma tied to them.
Muluswela wants to portray how society can deem these as imperfections. Yet to her, these unique markings are a natural part of being human. Additionally, Muluswela’s works explore the human condition of migration and what it means for Africans to take-up space away from the Diaspora. Through the use of symbolism through figures, she sheds light on the deep-rooted realities of racism, discrimination and marginalisation in a post-colonial oppressive system. Challenging her views on not only Africa’s political past and present but its potential and future through art. The subject matter of each artwork determines the materials used in the piece.
http://www.artxnatasha.com/
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Medway Community Primary School, Upper Tichborne Street, LE2 1GH |
When we think of the word ‘legacy’ we often think of it in terms of inherited money or property. In the context of the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans it usually represents money which has been made by European nations off of the back of slavery. This aspect of slavery was never taught to us at school (not much about slavery was), but this money – money gained from the commodification of our fellow human beings – has made the UK and other western countries very wealthy and has also brought with it associated and inherited freedoms and advantages.
There is another side to this topic though – the human side – the legacy that is part of a person’s history. These are things that remain from an earlier time: customs and traditions that are passed down through society and families –the precious legacies that shape us all as people.
Tragically, theTransatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans robbed many African people of their ancient customs and traditions once they became enslaved and were taken to the Americas. For example, drumming – an integral part of African culture – was forbidden by the plantation owners who were fearful of the practice and saw it as a means of cultural resistance.
In Barbados in the 1600s they even instituted a law to outlaw the playing of drums, with one of the penalties being death. In response to this the enslaved people began adapting their African derived music to sound like that of the Europeans (making drums out of local materials to substitute for those they had left behind in West Africa) and these bands became known in Barbados as Tuk bands (which still feature in Barbados modern culture today) – ‘tuk’ being derived from the Scottish word ‘touk’, meaning to beat or sound an instrument. They also played these instruments as a form of rebellion.
The above example highlights the strength, resilience and adaptability of the enslaved people as they tried to keep hold of their treasured customs whilst dealing with the cruel reality of living and working in appalling conditions thousands of miles and worlds apart from the homes, families and lives they were forced to leave behind. Despite everything, some customs and traditions have survived throughout the years, albeit some in different forms (having been influenced by European culture) but lots have disappeared, and this represents yet another huge legacy that has been stolen from the African people.
I have concentrated on the Ashanti region of Ghana, West Africa with regard to instruments, symbols, masks and colours, as this was where the captured people last saw their homeland. I have also focused on Barbados due to my personal links with the island through my husband’s family and the fact that I am a proud citizen of that country.
I wanted to show the strength and power of the enslaved people as they attempted to prevent their African traditions from being stolen and how they fought back by revolting against the slave masters; the final ‘Bussa Rebellion’ was the largest in the history of Barbados and took its name from the African-born enslaved, Bussa, who led the uprising.
Lou is a mixed media artist from Bristol, UK. She is also a proud citizen of Barbados (her husband’s place of birth).
Lou’s work, which ranges from drawing and painting to graphic design and printmaking, reflects her love for bold design and striking colour and she is heavily influenced by the great local street art and music scenes that her home city is famous for.
Lou is also inspired by Bristol's diverse mix of cultures and the sights and sounds of urban life and is a self-confessed doodler - her unconscious scribbles often finding their way into her finished designs. She also loves to seek inspiration when spending time in Barbados with her family.
Lou is self-taught and enjoys working with a variety of mediums. She loves experimenting and learning new techniques and has recently developed a style that has enabled her to combine some of the design characteristics of screen printing, stencil spray painting, collage and sketching in order to digitally produce some new, multi-layered giclee prints.
When we think of the word ‘legacy’ we often think of it in terms of inherited money or property. In the context of the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans it usually represents money which has been made by European nations off of the back of slavery. This aspect of slavery was never taught to us at school (not much about slavery was), but this money – money gained from the commodification of our fellow human beings – has made the UK and other western countries very wealthy and has also brought with it associated and inherited freedoms and advantages.
There is another side to this topic though – the human side – the legacy that is part of a person’s history. These are things that remain from an earlier time: customs and traditions that are passed down through society and families –the precious legacies that shape us all as people.
Tragically, theTransatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans robbed many African people of their ancient customs and traditions once they became enslaved and were taken to the Americas. For example, drumming – an integral part of African culture – was forbidden by the plantation owners who were fearful of the practice and saw it as a means of cultural resistance.
In Barbados in the 1600s they even instituted a law to outlaw the playing of drums, with one of the penalties being death. In response to this the enslaved people began adapting their African derived music to sound like that of the Europeans (making drums out of local materials to substitute for those they had left behind in West Africa) and these bands became known in Barbados as Tuk bands (which still feature in Barbados modern culture today) – ‘tuk’ being derived from the Scottish word ‘touk’, meaning to beat or sound an instrument. They also played these instruments as a form of rebellion.
The above example highlights the strength, resilience and adaptability of the enslaved people as they tried to keep hold of their treasured customs whilst dealing with the cruel reality of living and working in appalling conditions thousands of miles and worlds apart from the homes, families and lives they were forced to leave behind. Despite everything, some customs and traditions have survived throughout the years, albeit some in different forms (having been influenced by European culture) but lots have disappeared, and this represents yet another huge legacy that has been stolen from the African people.
I have concentrated on the Ashanti region of Ghana, West Africa with regard to instruments, symbols, masks and colours, as this was where the captured people last saw their homeland. I have also focused on Barbados due to my personal links with the island through my husband’s family and the fact that I am a proud citizen of that country.
I wanted to show the strength and power of the enslaved people as they attempted to prevent their African traditions from being stolen and how they fought back by revolting against the slave masters; the final ‘Bussa Rebellion’ was the largest in the history of Barbados and took its name from the African-born enslaved, Bussa, who led the uprising.
Lou is a mixed media artist from Bristol, UK. She is also a proud citizen of Barbados (her husband’s place of birth).
Lou’s work, which ranges from drawing and painting to graphic design and printmaking, reflects her love for bold design and striking colour and she is heavily influenced by the great local street art and music scenes that her home city is famous for.
Lou is also inspired by Bristol's diverse mix of cultures and the sights and sounds of urban life and is a self-confessed doodler - her unconscious scribbles often finding their way into her finished designs. She also loves to seek inspiration when spending time in Barbados with her family.
Lou is self-taught and enjoys working with a variety of mediums. She loves experimenting and learning new techniques and has recently developed a style that has enabled her to combine some of the design characteristics of screen printing, stencil spray painting, collage and sketching in order to digitally produce some new, multi-layered giclee prints.
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The Highfields Centre, Melbourne Road, LE2 0DS |
This design is made up of gunpwder chains that has been ignited to scorch their surrounding area. The base of the globe is painted in 'vanta black' - the darkest substance known to man as this will represent one of the darkest times known to man.
Rising out of the darkness will be emancipated chains and block shapes in red, these will represent the bloodshed and sacrifices which lead to freedom.
Spaces of pieces missing depicted by the grid shape in the background are there to remind us that there always be a part of the people missing due to the atrocities of enslavement and their ramifications.
All of this is based on a background of blues, which are the inverted colours to black skin tones, depicting as incarceration and enslavement was the exact opposite to what the people of the time should have been experiencing, freedom.
Marcus Dove’s main artistic focus is utilising pyrotechnics and other exothermic materials like gunpowder and smoke grenades in order to communicate the process of ‘creation via destruction’. He predominantly works large-scale on canvas to produce figurative narratives.
This design is made up of gunpwder chains that has been ignited to scorch their surrounding area. The base of the globe is painted in 'vanta black' - the darkest substance known to man as this will represent one of the darkest times known to man.
Rising out of the darkness will be emancipated chains and block shapes in red, these will represent the bloodshed and sacrifices which lead to freedom.
Spaces of pieces missing depicted by the grid shape in the background are there to remind us that there always be a part of the people missing due to the atrocities of enslavement and their ramifications.
All of this is based on a background of blues, which are the inverted colours to black skin tones, depicting as incarceration and enslavement was the exact opposite to what the people of the time should have been experiencing, freedom.
Marcus Dove’s main artistic focus is utilising pyrotechnics and other exothermic materials like gunpowder and smoke grenades in order to communicate the process of ‘creation via destruction’. He predominantly works large-scale on canvas to produce figurative narratives.
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Orton Square, LE1 1SB |
The work can be described as a mind map of different complex historical trajectories, with reflections in the present and contemporary, as well as personal musings – I am after all a member of a diaspora of a diaspora of a diaspora – and ongoing ruminations about the history and repercussions of the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans.
The work takes a graphic novel form, not across pages but rather on a globe where the latitudinal and longitudinal lines demarcate panels of graphics and micro-essays (sometimes non-sequitur in nature) in order to provoke the viewer to arrive at their own new and personal narratives and questions. In the final analysis, it is my desire for the work to feel like a call and response, a gentle but open discussion, and a series of critical but mindful provocations.
Richard Mark Rawlins (b.1967), Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, currently lives and works in Hastings, UK. A graduate of the Royal College of Art’s print programme (2019), Rawlins’ research takes a transnational approach to the “pop-cultural” poetics and politics of life in the Caribbean, the contested and resultant histories/realities of colonialism and it’s transpontine consequence, black identity and diaspora politics.
The work can be described as a mind map of different complex historical trajectories, with reflections in the present and contemporary, as well as personal musings – I am after all a member of a diaspora of a diaspora of a diaspora – and ongoing ruminations about the history and repercussions of the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans.
The work takes a graphic novel form, not across pages but rather on a globe where the latitudinal and longitudinal lines demarcate panels of graphics and micro-essays (sometimes non-sequitur in nature) in order to provoke the viewer to arrive at their own new and personal narratives and questions. In the final analysis, it is my desire for the work to feel like a call and response, a gentle but open discussion, and a series of critical but mindful provocations.
Richard Mark Rawlins (b.1967), Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, currently lives and works in Hastings, UK. A graduate of the Royal College of Art’s print programme (2019), Rawlins’ research takes a transnational approach to the “pop-cultural” poetics and politics of life in the Caribbean, the contested and resultant histories/realities of colonialism and it’s transpontine consequence, black identity and diaspora politics.
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The Clock Tower, East Gate, LE1 5YA |
My globe reflects on and documents my life and my work as an artist, writer, campaigner and activist with Trinidadian heritage and African roots, and the injustices our communities face today. It documents the struggle for racial justice through a visual diary.
My globe is interwoven with the stories of migration to the UK – from the Windrush generation to refugees fleeing climate change; the legacies of enslavement and colonialism; the injustices and inhumane treatments that they have faced – and continue to face; and the resistance of black communities in challenging the racism and injustice we face today in our quest for freedom, equity and peace. I created the original design for the globe during the pandemic as a way of documenting events as they happened and as an act of self-care.
I believe art is healing and has the ability to convey messages about issues I am passionate about – equality, freedom, justice, workers’ rights and human rights – to audiences we might not otherwise reach. I believe our struggles are connected, that collective action is crucial, and that we all have the ability to be the inspiration we seek.
The legacies of the enslavement of African people and colonialism, and the structural/systemic racism we face today are global issues, so it is apt that in responding to those issues as part of The World Reimagined, that our creations are in the form of globes. It is an honour to be part of The World Reimagined and part of a trail which tells our story collectively and imagines a better future. As well as striving for race equality for future generations, we deserve equality in our lifetime.
Still we strive.
Zita is an award-winning, trade union, community & human rights campaigner and activist, an author, visual artist, curator, poet, vocalist and writer. Zita is the Co-Founder and National Chair of Black Activists Rising Against Cuts (BARAC) UK, established in 2010 and campaigning against the disproportionate impact of cuts and austerity on black and minority ethnic workers, service users and communities and on the wider racism and injustice they & other deprived communities face. Zita campaigns against discrimination in the arts and culture sector. She is a trustee of the charity ACTSA (successor to the Anti-Apartheid Movement) and was elected to the ACTSA Council for over a decade and co-curated tours of the Mandela Centenary exhibition at the South Bank Centre.
My globe reflects on and documents my life and my work as an artist, writer, campaigner and activist with Trinidadian heritage and African roots, and the injustices our communities face today. It documents the struggle for racial justice through a visual diary.
My globe is interwoven with the stories of migration to the UK – from the Windrush generation to refugees fleeing climate change; the legacies of enslavement and colonialism; the injustices and inhumane treatments that they have faced – and continue to face; and the resistance of black communities in challenging the racism and injustice we face today in our quest for freedom, equity and peace. I created the original design for the globe during the pandemic as a way of documenting events as they happened and as an act of self-care.
I believe art is healing and has the ability to convey messages about issues I am passionate about – equality, freedom, justice, workers’ rights and human rights – to audiences we might not otherwise reach. I believe our struggles are connected, that collective action is crucial, and that we all have the ability to be the inspiration we seek.
The legacies of the enslavement of African people and colonialism, and the structural/systemic racism we face today are global issues, so it is apt that in responding to those issues as part of The World Reimagined, that our creations are in the form of globes. It is an honour to be part of The World Reimagined and part of a trail which tells our story collectively and imagines a better future. As well as striving for race equality for future generations, we deserve equality in our lifetime.
Still we strive.
Zita is an award-winning, trade union, community & human rights campaigner and activist, an author, visual artist, curator, poet, vocalist and writer. Zita is the Co-Founder and National Chair of Black Activists Rising Against Cuts (BARAC) UK, established in 2010 and campaigning against the disproportionate impact of cuts and austerity on black and minority ethnic workers, service users and communities and on the wider racism and injustice they & other deprived communities face. Zita campaigns against discrimination in the arts and culture sector. She is a trustee of the charity ACTSA (successor to the Anti-Apartheid Movement) and was elected to the ACTSA Council for over a decade and co-curated tours of the Mandela Centenary exhibition at the South Bank Centre.
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St Peter's Square, LE1 4AN |
Our globe takes the power, resistance and beauty of Black people and celebrates them in a unified design. Painted onto a black background, the 54 national flowers of each African country are positioned across the equator of the globe, alongside a green, chain-inspired, vine motif. This design symbolises the ecosystem of the Black community and the important role that each member plays.
It celebrates the joy and flourishing of Black people – not just their survival. Through natural imagery, the resistance and resilience of the Black community is centred. The green, chain-inspired, vine motif is a representation of the legacy of generations before, commemorating the power of Black ancestors and celebrating their determination and persistence. It represents the continuation of progress, with green linking to nature’s strength, power and reclamation.
These inspired patterns also nod to what enslaved Africans broke away from in the fight for their freedom. Flowers have been placed around the equator of the globe, to mirror the linking of arms in protest, symbolising the unity and strength in the communal power of Black people and their allies. It highlights the contribution of Black people to society across the world and commemorates the African diaspora.
For countries where there are duplicated flowers or non-declared national flowers, a bud is used to recognise the continued work that needs to be done to combat racism, as well as marking the growth and progress that we have already seen as a society and the potential yet to come. The design of this globe has been co-created with young people from the East Midlands.
Hannaa Hamdache is an artist and curator of mixed English and Algerian heritage. Based in Nottingham, UK, she holds a BA (Hons) in Fine Art and Art History from Kingston University London and an MLitt in Curatorial Practice (Contemporary Art) from the Glasgow School of Art. She works to make the arts open for all through the use of humour and education. Her practice explores the idea of play: playing with context, the exhibition and the everyday.
Our globe takes the power, resistance and beauty of Black people and celebrates them in a unified design. Painted onto a black background, the 54 national flowers of each African country are positioned across the equator of the globe, alongside a green, chain-inspired, vine motif. This design symbolises the ecosystem of the Black community and the important role that each member plays.
It celebrates the joy and flourishing of Black people – not just their survival. Through natural imagery, the resistance and resilience of the Black community is centred. The green, chain-inspired, vine motif is a representation of the legacy of generations before, commemorating the power of Black ancestors and celebrating their determination and persistence. It represents the continuation of progress, with green linking to nature’s strength, power and reclamation.
These inspired patterns also nod to what enslaved Africans broke away from in the fight for their freedom. Flowers have been placed around the equator of the globe, to mirror the linking of arms in protest, symbolising the unity and strength in the communal power of Black people and their allies. It highlights the contribution of Black people to society across the world and commemorates the African diaspora.
For countries where there are duplicated flowers or non-declared national flowers, a bud is used to recognise the continued work that needs to be done to combat racism, as well as marking the growth and progress that we have already seen as a society and the potential yet to come. The design of this globe has been co-created with young people from the East Midlands.
Hannaa Hamdache is an artist and curator of mixed English and Algerian heritage. Based in Nottingham, UK, she holds a BA (Hons) in Fine Art and Art History from Kingston University London and an MLitt in Curatorial Practice (Contemporary Art) from the Glasgow School of Art. She works to make the arts open for all through the use of humour and education. Her practice explores the idea of play: playing with context, the exhibition and the everyday.
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Stephen Lawrence Research Centre, DMU, Richmond St, LE2 7ED |
Colonialism comes in many different forms but is essentially about an encroachment on other people’s space. My work is about resisting these forces which infringe upon lands, bodies, minds and souls that are not theirs. A reference I often return to in my work is the struggle fought against the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans and Empire, and their legacies of destruction in Africa and beyond.
As an artist, my interest is in the significance of culture in this struggle, and its importance in telling a different story from that of the oppressor. Inspired by the creative spirit and imagination of a community for whom just to remain in this space has been an immense act of resistance, my globe expresses the boldness, strength and beauty of Black British culture and its impact on Britain.
This culture, which has pushed back against colonial encroachment, has required a refusal to be moved – what could be called Staying Power.
Lakwena Maciver creates painted prayers and meditations which respond to and re-appropriate elements of popular culture. Exploring the role of the artist as mythmaker, with their use of acid-bright colour and bold typographic text, her paintings act as a means of decolonisation, subtly subverting prevailing mythologies. Her approach is instinctive and autodidactic, producing visceral, rhythmic and immersive panel paintings, iconic murals and installations.
Colonialism comes in many different forms but is essentially about an encroachment on other people’s space. My work is about resisting these forces which infringe upon lands, bodies, minds and souls that are not theirs. A reference I often return to in my work is the struggle fought against the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans and Empire, and their legacies of destruction in Africa and beyond.
As an artist, my interest is in the significance of culture in this struggle, and its importance in telling a different story from that of the oppressor. Inspired by the creative spirit and imagination of a community for whom just to remain in this space has been an immense act of resistance, my globe expresses the boldness, strength and beauty of Black British culture and its impact on Britain.
This culture, which has pushed back against colonial encroachment, has required a refusal to be moved – what could be called Staying Power.
Lakwena Maciver creates painted prayers and meditations which respond to and re-appropriate elements of popular culture. Exploring the role of the artist as mythmaker, with their use of acid-bright colour and bold typographic text, her paintings act as a means of decolonisation, subtly subverting prevailing mythologies. Her approach is instinctive and autodidactic, producing visceral, rhythmic and immersive panel paintings, iconic murals and installations.
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Town Hall Square, Every St, LE1 6AG |
After exploring the theme to which I am responding, Reimagine The Future, several keywords and phrases presented themselves to me; from roots to fruit; vitality; courage; fluidity; unwavering; and the divine feminine.
All of which I felt are emblematic of the transmutation of the pain, suffering, and darkness our ancestors endured, into a source of tremendous power and light.
What I wanted to offer in relation to these is an energetic response where the green whimsical and fluid lines blend into light, warm and sparkling yellow areas that in parts surround semi-abstract flowers. The fluid and soft lines could be interpreted as a celebration of the unwavering nature of the human spirit to continuously rise above adversity and adapt – like water – endlessly curving around seemingly immovable rocks in a river. The abstract flowers – bright and pink – could be seen as symbolic of the divine feminine and creative processes of renewal, the beginning of a new legacy.
The main colours – pink, yellow, and blue-green – have been inspired, but slightly adapted, by the colours of the Cameroonian flag, which forms part of my own mixed heritage.
What I hope that my globe will offer people, is an opportunity for all of us to meditate and contemplate upon the things about our humanity that historically and cross-culturally unite us all as opposed to what divides us. ‘God has written evil into the storyline of life, but it generally takes a positive trajectory, so that what you end up with is not a tragedy but a tale of hope and inspiration.’ – Jesse Coueavhoven. Still, we rise.
Born in Croydon, England in 1992, Brookfield grew up in Derby and studied Fine art in Leicester, where he attended De Montfort University. He’s won the peoples choice award as part of the Robert Walters UK New Artist of the year award 2021 and he has had his work featured on Creativeboom and Juxtapoz. Brookfield is currently pursuing a life of art-making in Leicester, England.
After exploring the theme to which I am responding, Reimagine The Future, several keywords and phrases presented themselves to me; from roots to fruit; vitality; courage; fluidity; unwavering; and the divine feminine.
All of which I felt are emblematic of the transmutation of the pain, suffering, and darkness our ancestors endured, into a source of tremendous power and light.
What I wanted to offer in relation to these is an energetic response where the green whimsical and fluid lines blend into light, warm and sparkling yellow areas that in parts surround semi-abstract flowers. The fluid and soft lines could be interpreted as a celebration of the unwavering nature of the human spirit to continuously rise above adversity and adapt – like water – endlessly curving around seemingly immovable rocks in a river. The abstract flowers – bright and pink – could be seen as symbolic of the divine feminine and creative processes of renewal, the beginning of a new legacy.
The main colours – pink, yellow, and blue-green – have been inspired, but slightly adapted, by the colours of the Cameroonian flag, which forms part of my own mixed heritage.
What I hope that my globe will offer people, is an opportunity for all of us to meditate and contemplate upon the things about our humanity that historically and cross-culturally unite us all as opposed to what divides us. ‘God has written evil into the storyline of life, but it generally takes a positive trajectory, so that what you end up with is not a tragedy but a tale of hope and inspiration.’ – Jesse Coueavhoven. Still, we rise.
Born in Croydon, England in 1992, Brookfield grew up in Derby and studied Fine art in Leicester, where he attended De Montfort University. He’s won the peoples choice award as part of the Robert Walters UK New Artist of the year award 2021 and he has had his work featured on Creativeboom and Juxtapoz. Brookfield is currently pursuing a life of art-making in Leicester, England.
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