Conference
Let's Talk about Decolonisation
17 Jul 2025
The Word, National Centre for the Written Word
South Shields, United Kingdom
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Patrick Ziza, Tracepace, 2025. Photo: Rayen Luna Solar
Exhibition
CONTESTED DESIRES: Constructive Dialogues
17 Jul 2025 – 29 Jul 2025
Regular hours
- Monday
- 10:00 – 17:00
- Tuesday
- 10:00 – 17:00
- Wednesday
- 10:00 – 17:00
- Thursday
- 10:00 – 17:00
- Friday
- 10:00 – 17:00
- Saturday
- 10:00 – 16:00
- Sunday
- 11:00 – 16:00
Free admission
What is the impact of colonial heritage today and whose stories do we hear?
CONTESTED DESIRES: Constructive Dialogues is an ambitious international conversation between contemporary artists and the museums, archives and communities that shape and hold our European colonial histories.
About
From Africa, Europe and South America, the artists in this exhibition explore complex and interwoven themes of identity, appropriation, power and memory. The artworks reveal entangled and unheard stories found within historical collections and diverse communities.
By shedding light on the complexities and far reaching impact of colonialism, it becomes possible to trace and lay bare the colonial roots of many of today’s global injustices.
As the artists invite us to consider new perspectives on the legacies of Europe’s colonial past, it is an opportunity to look to the future and the choices we make today. How can we learn to understand the past to create a more just future?
Artists:Rafael Guendelman Hales (Chile), Elisabeth Efua Sutherland (Ghana), Isaac Nana Opoku (Ghana), Andreas Mallouris (Cyprus), Maria Luigia Gioffre (Italy), Paul Nataraj (UK) and Patrick Ziza (UK)