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Janina Sabaliauskaite
Exhibition
Rene McBrearty // Jill McKnight – Life in a Northern Town
18 Aug 2018 – 9 Sep 2018
Cost of entry
Free
Address
- 232-240 High Street
- Gateshead
- Newcastle upon Tyne
England - NE8 1AQ
- United Kingdom
For the final exhibition of Life in a Northern Town, Rene McBrearty and Jill McKnight reveal hidden histories of female work and labour through the collective experiences of their families and their own individual experience. The work explores themes of identity, memory, family, women and gesture.
About
How to Remove a Single Strand Knot is a new sculptural installation including the first moving image work by Rene McBrearty. A single strand knot is found in afro hair and sometimes difficult to remove. Within the exhibition removing the knot becomes a metaphor for processing daily micro-aggressions and practicing self-care.
McBrearty’s sculptures reference shirt collars and bodily forms as symbols of an all-consuming work, repeating themselves as a way to be productive. A riso printed zine which includes poetry, images and reference materials, has been made for the exhibition, this is available for visitors to take away.
The work thinks about the hidden labour carried out by women of colour while experiencing micro-aggressions which are everywhere, non-negotiable and relentless. The work explores the labour, productivity and the learning and unlearning of personal histories alongside the importance of sisterhood and community resilience in surviving. It is informed by her own experience, conversations with friends, her grandmother and the novel ‘Sula’ by Toni Morrison.
How to Remove a Single Strand Knot has been produced with the help of: Jola Olafimihan, Hannabiell Sanders, Wanjiru Mugo, Miles McBrearty, Matthew Pickering, Heather Bonnie Reid and Janina Sabaliauskaite.
