Produced by the
Guardian in association
with decibel
ART IS
BLACK
CULTURALLY
DIVERSE ARTISTS
ON SHOW
02 ART IS BLACK
ALJIT BALROW IS THE FACE OF HAPPYclappy,
off-the-peg multiculturalism.
Literally. Her cute face modelling Indian
wedding jewellery and painted with the
British flag proves there IS some “Black
in the Union Jack” and embodies the
celebratory agenda of the Channel 4 Self
Portrait UK campaign. It’s always
captioned, “My parents see me as Indian,
but my friends see me as British. I see
myself as both British and Indian.” Very
melting pot.
But Balrow originally produced the
self-portrait as one in a series of shots,
the paint vanishing one colour per frame
to reveal the Indian face beneath,
representing a rejection of British
jingoistic flag-wavers alongside that
more defiantly celebratory vibe. Balrow
engages with her Sikh heritage
artistically because “it’s the same kind of
relationship you have with your artwork
as with your identity”.
But she distinguishes between a
useful internal dialogue and the banal
terms in which ethnic identity is framed
in the public domain. Since taking part in
a British Council sponsored tour of India
with a random bunch of other British
Asian artists, she’s no longer Asianartist-
for-hire because it eclipses her
specialism as a portraitist. She is now
teaming up with artists she met in India
in a joint exhibition but explains, “It’s not
Asian artists’ work, it’s artwork by artists
who happen to be Asian.”
Black and Asian artists working in
more abstract forms often bristle at the
association with identity politics. In 1989
Anish Kapoor refused to take part in The
Other Story, a landmark exhibition of
black and Asian artists at the Hayward
Gallery, reasoning, “I believe that being
an artist is more than being an Indian
artist. I feel supportive to that kind of
endeavour… it needs to happen once; I
hope that show is never necessary again.”
Ten years later, public galleries still
seem out of step with such artists. Art
historian Niru Ratnam panned an
exhibition showcasing young Asian
artists in 1999, saying “We simply do not
need insulting patronising shows like
zerozerozero ever again.”
Alex Proud, a private gallery owner
specialising in music photography, finds
the idea of defining work through the
ethnicity of the artist baffling. He says
diversity sells and black photographers
may be best positioned to capitalise
because, “skin colour stopped being a
barrier in photography a long time ago”.
A recent exhibition of Bob Marley pictures
by black photographer Dennis Morris was
a commercial success and Proud is now
talking to KFC about sponsoring an
exhibition of soul photographs.
Sara Wajidis project director
(development) of SALIDAA, South Asian
Diasporic Literature and Arts Archive
(www.salidaa.org.uk). She curated Our
Man in India: Cecil Beaton’s Propaganda
Photographs 1944, at The National
Archives, Kew, to Mar 13
B
What’s in a
name?
Above, Self portrait
with jewellery-feet;
Red Nude [also on
cover]. Right, Sydney.
All by Baljit Balrow
Baljit Balrow; Graham Turner; Aquarius
Is racial and cultural identity
important to visual artists?
Or are we just one happy
multicultural family now?
Is this the job of the commercial
gallery? Mr Aftab cites the film and music
industries where he believes there is a
more progressive attitude towards
encouraging young black and Asian
people. Public bodies are all very well, but
it is the big commercial galleries with the
cash. If they want to be seen as a globalised
community perhaps they should be
proactive in providing opportunities for
those who feel alienated from entering it.
Jessica Lack
ART IS BLACK 03
Steve McQueen. Top,
Isaac Julien’s film
Looking for Langston
Spend, spend,
spend
At a time when famousname
artists get big bucks,
does race still affect your
selling power?
IT WAS A VERY DIFFERENT LONDON
when the GLC Leader Ken Livingston
was mocked for spending public money
on tabloid-unfriendly groups such as
black and Asian artists. It was an act
that caused derision from Middle
Englanders and added to his
description as a loony lefty.
Today the idea of describing artists like
Anish Kapoor, Chris Ofili, and Steve
McQueen as part of a marginalised
artistic community would seem
laughable. They have not only received
the highest art accolades Britain has to
offer, but their paintings, sculptures and
films fetch the kind of prices most mere
mortals could retire on.
Has their race effected their selling
power? Niru Ratnam, co-director of the
Store Gallery in Hoxton doesn’t think so
and is mildly amused to think of
exhibitions by artists such as Lubaina
Himid or David Adjaye, as needing the
support of a decibel initiative.
“At the beginning of the 1990s it did
feel like the only artist of colour who had
gained public recognition was Anish
Kapoor, but things have changed
dramatically since then. There is a kind of
multicultural romanticism in the London
art world now. Gallery owners don’t have
a racial agenda to selling art. There are a
small few who choose to show only
works with a post-colonial slant, but
essentially dealers are interested in the
international appeal of their artists. In a
strange way”, says Ratnam,“you could
argue the market has become an
enabler of globalised peace in the art
world. It may be a cut-throat profession
but race doesn’t come into it.”
Film and art critic Kaleem Aftab is less
sure, “IThe gatekeepers are still white,
and although you can mention artists like
Kapoor, Isaac Julien and Runa Islam, I
still think there’s a kind of tokenism to the
way these artists are seen. You can argue
it’s a class thing, but that’s just sidestepping
the issue. Dealers might be
keen to attract black and Asian artists but
I don’t see them going into schools in the
East End or setting up scholarships.”
Is there racism in the visual arts? Join the debate, at
www.spiked-online.com/artsandracism/’
BCA Gallery
33 Castle Lane, Bedford (01234 273580)
www.bedfordcreativearts.org
Window on the World: Nilu Izadi
A solo exhibition of contemporary pinhole
and camera obscura photography by Nilu
Izadi, London-based photographer of
Iranian origin.
Tues-Sat 11am-5pm, ends Apr 17, free
Bonnington Gallery
Dryden Street, Nottingham (0115 848
6131) www.future-factory.com
Performance People: Harjeet Kaur
This work is preoccupied with action and
duration, which enthralls and draws the
audience in closer.
Mon-Thur 10am-5pm, Fri 10am-4pm, Sat
1pm-5pm, Apr 5 to May 14, free
Central Art Gallery
Old Street, Ashton-Under-Lyne, Greater
Manchester (0161-342 2650)
www.tameside.gov.uk
Parampara Portraits: J Chuhan
New perceptions of the British South
Asian experience through a series of
portraits of British South Asians in the
public eye.
Tues, Wed, Fri 10am-5pm, Thu 1pm-
7.30pm, Sat 9am-4pm, ends today, free
The City Gallery
90 Granby Street, Leicester LE1 (0116 254
0595)
Roshini Kempadoo: Works 1990-2004
Mapping colonial history, stories and
locations, Roshini Kempadoo uses new
technologies to explore connections
between past and present. Includes
Ghosting, commissioned to celebrate the
new Peepul Centre.
Tue-Fri 11am-6pm, Sat 10am-5pm ends
Apr 3, free
Crescent Arts, The Crescent,
Scarborough, North Yorks (01723 351461)
www.crescentarts.co.uk
Sculpture
Sculpture exhibition of local and national
artists from wire sculpture to 3D collage,
found objects and everything in between.
Ends today
Kids Art
An exhibition of diverse art produced by
children aged 5 to 15.
Mon-Sun 10am-1pm, 2pm-5pm, Mar 16
to Apr 24, free
Listings
All around England: where to see
culturally diverse artists on show
between now and July
04 ART IS BLACK
There is humour and pathos in the
paintings of Lubaina Himid, the
Tanzanian-born artist who, after
leaving the Royal College of Art.
formed the Black Women’s Art
Movement and became director of the
alternative art space, The Elbow
Room between 1986 and 1990. Himid
uses her pictures to introduce
dialogues about art and illusion,
guilefully rewriting history to include
depictions of black women and
lament the injustices of slavery and
oppression. Her new exhibition
features theatrically dressed cut-out
figures, withthe accompaniment of a
thumping operatic soundtrack that
challenges the relationship between
Europe’s colonial past and today’s
cultural politics. JL
The Hatton Gallery, Newcastle,
to Mar 13, free
FOCUS: Lubaina Himid
Cousins today, pictured at his home in Minorc apictured at
ART IS BLACK 05
exploring issues of forgotten histories,
race and identity.
Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, to Mar 13, free
John Hansard Gallery
University of Southampton, Highfield,
Southampton (023 8059 2158)
www.hansardgallery.org.uk
New British Painting: Part II
Exhibition of contemporary British
painters including Pearl Hsuing, Andrea
Medjesi-Jones, Miho Sato and others.
Tues-Fri 11am-5pm, Sat 11am-4pm,
ends Apr 7, free
Minories Art Gallery
74 High Street, Colchester, Essex (01206
577067) www.firstsite.uk.net
Gambiarra
A multi-ethnic, multimedia exhibition of
young Brazilian artists combining a
political voice with the methodology of
“gambiarra” or “making do”.
Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Mar 5 to June 5, free
The New Art Gallery Walsall
Gallery Square, Walsall, West Midlands
(01922 654 400) www.artatwalsall.org.uk
Double Vision
Students curating their own exhibition,
drawing on the works from the Arts
Council Collection.
Strangers
Strangers gathers together works by 19
Cube
82 Wood Street, Liverpool, L1 (0161-237
5525) www.cube.org.uk
Asymmetrical Chamber: David Adjaye
Cube is committed to exploring
architecture in all its diversity and how it
interconnects with other visual arts
disciplines. Mon-Fri, 12noon-5.30pm, Sat
10am-5pm, to Mar 8, free
EMACA (East Midlands African
and Caribbean Arts)
Art Exchange, 39 Gregory Boulevard,
Nottingham (0115 924 4611)
Keisha Castello
Miniature painting and installation from
Jamaican artist. Mar 10 to Apr 2
My Other Life: Donovan Pennant
Installation and photography on the
artist’s reincarnation. Apr 9 to May 2
Urban Spirituals: Samson Kambalu
Ground-breaking retrospective of Malawiborn
artist, Samson Kambalu. Best
known for his Holy Ball exercises. July 5 to
Aug 24
Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 1pm-5pm, free
The Hatton Gallery
The Quadrangle, University of Newcastle,
Newcastle (0191-222 6059)
www.ncl.ac.uk/hatton
Naming the Money: Lubaina Himid
Installation of 100 life-sized cut-outs
Ian Teh spent the last four years
photographing the creation of the
largest dam in the world which will
force 2 million Chinese people to
leave their homes by the Yangtze
River. One of the most striking shots
depicts a barber cutting hair in his
shop, which is mid-demolition. Teh
deftly captures intimate domestic
details brutally exposed by
demolition. Technically perfect
compositions of natural beauty by the
award-winning press photographer
are mixed with blurry ones hinting at
a hovering bulldozer. SW
Photofusion, London SW9,
to Mar 27, free
FOCUS: Ian Teh
06 ART IS BLACK
modern and contemporary artists from
the Tate Collections whose practice
involves meeting or observing strangers.
Tues-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12noon-5pm,
ends Apr 18, free
Nottingham Castle
Off Maid Marian Way, Nottingham (0115
915 3700) www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk
Horace Ove
Landmark exhibition of 100 selected
images from the work of pioneering black
film-maker, documenting the emergent
black political scene in the 60s.
Mon-Sun 10am-5pm, May 1 to June 27,
free
Photofusion
17a Electric Lane, Brixton, London, SW9
(020-7738 5774) www.photofusion.org
The Vanishing: Ian Teh
A documentation of the recent
transformation to China’s Yangtze river
made by the construction of the giant
Three Gorges Dam. To Mar 27
Buena Memoria: Marcelo Brodsky
An impressive and moving memorial to
the thousands who went missing during
Argentina’s dictatorship. Apr 2 to May 15
Masquerade
Five contemporary women
photographers address the complexities
surrounding portraiture. May 28 to July 10
Tues, Thur, Fri 10am-5pm, Wed 10am-
8pm, Sat 11am-6pm, free
Photographers’ Gallery
Newport Street, WC2 (020-7831 1772)
Red-Colour News Soldier: Li Zhensheng
Photographs of the cultural revolution in
the city of Harbin, scene of mass witchhunts
by Red Guards.
Mao’s Photographers:
Hou Bo & Xu Xiaobing
In contrast to Li Zhengsheng’s frank and
courageous depiction of the real events of
the Cultural Revolution, this exhibition
focuses on how Mao Zedong recruited
photography for propagandist ends.
Mon-Sat 11am-6pm, Sun 12noon-6pm,
Apr 9 to May 30, free
PM Gallery & House
Walpole Park, Mattock Lane, Ealing, W5
(020-8567 1227)
www.ealing.gov.uk/pitshanger
Roshini Kempadoo
A retrospective exhibition of photographic
and web-based work including a new
commission referencing the gallery house
owned by John Soane.
Tues-Fri 1pm-5pm, Sat 11am-5pm, June
2004, free
The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery
Bethesda Street, Stoke on Trent, (01782
232323) www.stoke.gov.uk/museums
An artist who has been consistently
making engaging and thoughtprovoking
artworks for the last 14
years, it is only now that Roshini
Kempadoo is finally being
recognised for these investigative
pieces. Her new installation
Ghosting is unveiled this week and it
is a critical look at the history of the
slave trade using information
gleaned on the internet. Using the
arbitrary nature of cyberspace, she
creates links between countries and
people, exploring the impact
colonialisation has had on popular
culture, the way in which we
construct history, both personal and
national, and our aspirations.
She also has another show at PM
Gallery & House, Ealing, in June. JL
The City Gallery, Leicester,
to Apr 3, free
FOCUS: Roshini Kempadoo
Cousins today, pictured at his home in Minorc apictured at
ART IS BLACK 07
Diverse Designs
Twelve schools work with artists inspired by
the museum’s foreign collection.
Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 2pm-5pm, Apr
3-Apr 20, free
Q Arts
35/36 Queen Street, Derby (01332 295858)
www.g-arts.co.uk
Illustration of Life: Max Kandhola
A profound and moving photographic
narrative that challenges exiting ideas and
representation of death.
Mon-Sun 12noon-4pm, ends today, free
Royal Over-Seas League Arts
Over-Seas House, Park Place, St James’s
Street, London, SW1 www.rosl.org.uk
Hybrid: Chila Burman and Godfried
Donkor
New works by two highly acclaimed
artists working with pattern and detail.
Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, to Mar 5, free
The Showroom
44 Bonner Road, London, London E2 (020-
8983 4115) www.theshowroom.org
Subodh Gupta
Newly commissioned work by Delhibased
artist, elevating the status of found
objects from everyday items to artworks.
Mon-Sun 1pm to 6pm, Mar 31 to May 9, free
To Change an Opinion
One day conference on aesthetical forms
and political contents. Speakers include
Subodh Gupta and Michael Hirsch.
Apr 3, £20/ £10 (concessions). Tickets
from The Showroom, as above
Spacex Gallery
45 Preston Street, Exeter (01392 431 786)
www.spacex.co.uk
Homeland
A multi-site project — encompassing
shops, the cathedral, outdoor spaces and
the local newspaper — posing the
question “What is Middle England?”
Tues-Sat 10am-5pm, Apr 17 to May 15,
free
Usher Gallery
Lindum Road, Lincoln (0152 252 7980)
www.lincolnshire.gov.uk
Serendipity
Exhibition of some of Sri Lanka’s finest
contemporary artists. Work ranges from
sculpture to photography, painting to
printing.
Tues-Sat 10am-5.30pm, Sun 2.30pm-
5pm, ends Apr 16, free
Yorkshire Sculpture Park
West Bretton, Wakefield, West Yorks
(01924 832631) www.ysp.co.uk
Eduodo Chillida
Monumental and medium-sized
sculptures complemented by carvings,
ceramics, graphics and works on paper.
Mon-Sun 11am-5pm, Mar, free
New Delhi-based Subodh Gupta is fast
becoming an established name on the
international art scene. His quirky
figurative work uses globally
recognised brands like the big Mac,
Nike’s ubiquitous tick and the London
underground logo as much as it does
familiar Indian domestic objects like
cooking pots and scooters. The form
varies from a 10-minute video
installation of his naked slimecovered
body utilising the latest in hitech
gadgetry, to simple metal casts
of bamboo sticks. Gupta was featured
in the prestigious First Fukuoka Asian
Art Triennale which heralded a cool
new dawn in the appreciation of
contemporary art from the
subcontinent and is now opening his
first solo show in London. SW
The Showroom, London E2,
Mar 31 to May 9, free
FOCUS: Subodh Gupta
ublic architecture may be a profession not
to be entered lightly by young upstarts, but
it appears David Adjaye never read the
rulebook. Over the past 10 years, the 36-
year-old Royal College of Art graduate has
made his mark on London’s landscape
with some extraordinary structures.
These range from the effortlessly cool
Social Bar, to a black box house for art duo
Tim Noble and Sue Webster.
But it was his design for a house in
Whitechapel, in which no roof, bricks or
windows were visible, that brought Adjaye
serious critical recognition. A brooding
dark shroud, this simple structure was a
striking alternative to terrace living.
More recently Adjaye has been
collaborating with the artist Chris Ofili and
designed INIVA, the first national centre
for culturally diverse visual arts. He is set
to conquer Boston and New York with a
Performing Arts Centre and a Museum of
Contemporary Art and will also be
designing Oslo’s Nobel Peace Centre.
However, in an interview in the Guardian,
Adjaye described the architectural world as
“the most closed, middle-class, middleaged,
trust-fund profession you could ever
be in”. He also voiced concerns over the
way people have a tendency to see
architecture purely as a functional
medium.“Buildings are deeply emotive
structures which form our psyche.”
His new retrospective, Asymmetrical
Chamber, contains photographs and
drawings outlining his approach to
celebrating the confusion of city living. JL
Cube, Liverpool, to Mar 8, free
P
FOCUS:David Adjaye
Above, Asymetric
chamber, work by
David Adjaye at Cube,
Liverpool
The world-acclaimed architect reveals his fascination with stark
modernism, and the power of buildings, in his first retrospective
Lyndon Douglas