Event
Spike Island Open Studios
03 May 2019 – 06 May 2019
Spike Island
Bristol, United Kingdom
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Why are we not here?
Exhibition
Why are we not here?
3 May 2019 – 12 May 2019
Event times
Kids Workshop, Monday 6 May, 11-12am
Youth Workshop, Wednesday 8 May, 4-6pm
Panel Discussion, Thursday 9 May, 6.30-8pm
Cost of entry
free
Address
- Test Space, Spike Island
- 133 Cumberland Road
- Bristol
England - BS1 6UX
- United Kingdom
Travel Information
- The 506 service runs between Spike Island, Bristol Temple Meads and Broadmead/Cabot Circus.
- The Bristol Ferry Boat Company provides services from various points around Bristol, running every 40 minutes. From the SS Great Britain stop, follow the above walking route to Spike Island.
- British Rail, Temple Meads, Bristol
Event map
An exhibition exploring issues of institutional racism and marginalised representation in arts institutions by diaspora artists, curated by Rising artists, Stacey Olika and Anika Deb, in response to an invitation from Test Space, Bristol.
About
At last year’s artist-run Multiverse Summit held at Eastside Projects, Birmingham, The White Pube delivered a hard hitting provocation to all artist led spaces within the UK, challenging their complacency and unacknowledged racial bias. Urging artist led spaces to tackle institutional racism and the lack of presence of people of colour within the arts at all levels it triggered a direct response from Test Space, Bristol who, as a first step, have initiated the project, ‘Why Are We Not Here?’
This exhibition – which is timed to take place during Open Studios, the busiest event in Spike Island’s year, where upwards of seven thousand people will visit the space over the early May Bank Holiday Weekend - will be showing the work of seven artists working with sound, installation, print, poetry and painting mediums, including a programme of talks and workshops that will further question the complacency of arts institutions.
Artists that will be featured are: Courtenay Welcome, Donnell Asare, Kiara Corales, Nadia Lloyd, Nick Ogri, Fatima Murtala, Leeza Awojobi, and Jasmine Thompson.
Bios
Stacey and Anika were invited to curate Why are we not here? for Rising Arts Agency after previously working together on Throwing Shade an exhibition following a residency with Bristol City Council and Artspace Lifespace.
Stacey Olika is a graphic designer, creative director, curator and speaker. She is currently leading a number of projects, working as Programme Support Assistant for UWE Graphic Design leading its speaker series and degree show publication focusing on engaged conversations about race. She is also a youth board member for Rising Arts Agency and creative director for Africa Week UK.
Anika Deb is multidisciplinary artist and practicing curator. She has recently been involved in Bristol Museum and Art Gallery’s Young Exhibition Producer’s Programme, producing and curating a show for a young audience in response to the Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in Drawing exhibition. She is currently a fellow at Spike Island and co-runs artist led space Latch, programming arts, music and film events.
