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John Akomfrah with his film Mimesis: African Soldier. Image courtesy of Imperial War Museum, London
Exhibition
John Akomfrah – Mimesis: African Soldier
1 Oct 2022 – 8 Jan 2023
Regular hours
- Monday
- Closed
- Tuesday
- 10:00 – 17:00
- Wednesday
- 10:00 – 17:00
- Thursday
- 10:00 – 17:00
- Friday
- 10:00 – 17:00
- Saturday
- 10:00 – 17:00
- Sunday
- 10:00 – 17:00
Cost of entry
Pay what you can
Address
- Queens Rd
- Bristol
England - BS8 1RL
- United Kingdom
Mimesis is a film by John Akomfrah that uncovers the story of the Commonwealth soldiers who volunteered to fight in World War I: the war of their colonial masters.
About
Akomfrah blends archive imagery of African and Asian soldiers at work, digging trenches and fetching and carrying with original, newly filmed footage imagining the men as they leave their partners behind.
With a soundtrack that mixes African and Indian song with new compositions, John Akomfrah paints a vivid cinematic portrait of a forgotten, or overlooked history.
“The most important thing for me, the takeaway, is that African soldiers fought in this war, that they played a variety of roles in the war as foot soldiers, as carriers. Every facet, every avenue, every job in the war, if you look long enough, you will see someone of either Asian or African origin/heritage in that role.” – John Akomfrah
Film timings
The film is 73 minutes long. You can enter the gallery at any time but the film will start from the beginning at the following approximate times: 10.30am, 11.43am, 12.56pm, 2.09pm, 3.22pm
Timings are subject to some variation.
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Mimesis: African Soldier was commissioned by 14-18 NOW and shown at the Imperial War Museum to mark the centenary of World War I. Bristol Museum & Art Gallery jointly acquired the film in partnership with Glasgow Museums in 2019. The exhibition is sponsored by UWE Bristol.
