NEW ART EXCHANGE JANUARY – MARCH 2017
EXHIBITIONS | EVENTS | FAMILY ACTIVITIES | CREATIVE OPPORTUNITIES | CAFÉ BAR
CAFÉ BAR
NEW YEAR, NEW MENU!
cafe@nae.org.uk
2017 ushers in a new menu for our CaféBar featuring new dishes and a few old favourites. Be sure to get yourself one of our new Loyalty Cards!
› Twitter & Instagram › @NAECafeBar Opening Times Weekdays 9am – 6pm
We will be joined by country folk band, The Last Pedestrians, on Saturday 25 March (see page 11).
Weekends 10am – 5pm
STUDENTS We offer 10% off your food bill with a valid NUS card.
Image credit: Front cover: Larry Achiampong and David Blandy, Finding Fanon 2, 2015. Current page, clockwise from top left: Marta Sanches Costa; Hisham Helmy; Bartosz Kali; Mohamed Elnahhas. Next page: Evan Ifekoya, Nature-Nurture Sketch (still), 2013.
SPACES FOR HIRE Our Performance Space, Learning Room and Meeting Room are available to hire for your meeting or event. We also offer Technical Support and catering options. bookings@nae.org.uk
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WELCOME
Think and deliver the NEW Welcome to 2017 – bring it on!
We continue to work with our community partners to host a Polish family fun day, celebratory music events for International Women’s Day, creative writing workshops inspired by the exhibition, and families and young people can enjoy a range of free activities with YARD and Saturday Art Club. Look out for other 2017 shows at NAE, including Keith Piper in April, and our July exhibition for Here, There & Everywhere – a project spanning UK and Indian contemporary art scenes.
Uncertainty in a world ‘trumpled’ by a post-Brexit era offers an opportunity to reimagine how art spaces, programmes and artists engage audiences and communities. We launch this season with a significant group show, UNTITLED: art on the conditions of our time, representing a new confidence and shattering the curatorial and institutional bias that has so often trapped black artists into a corner. UNTITLED explores an explosion of ideas and contexts capturing the sense of who we are in the contemporary age. We are excited to welcome the curators and so many of the exhibiting artists to our busy season of stimulating events.
We now offer the opportunity for you to support our charity by making a donation, and your generosity will then be doubled by Arts Council England funding. Be sure to support so we can keep our arts exhibitions and engagement programmes free. We look forward to welcoming you… Skinder Hundal 3
EXHIBITIONS
UNTITLED: art on the conditions of our time MAIN + MEZZANINE GALLERY 14 January – 19 March 2017 EXHIBITION LAUNCH Friday 13 January 2017, 6pm – 9pm
EXHIBITING ARTISTS Larry Achiampong & David Blandy Barby Asante Appau Junior Boakye-Yiadom Phoebe Boswell Kimathi Donkor Evan Ifekoya Cedar Lewisohn Harold Offeh Ima-Abasi Okon NT Barbara Walker
Image credit: Current page: Appau Junior Boakye-Yiadom, P.Y.T, 2009. Next page: NT, Imitation, 2013.
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EXHIBITIONS
UNTITLED: art on the conditions of our time is a major new touring exhibition produced by New Art Exchange, curated in collaboration with NAE by Paul Goodwin and Hansi Momodu-Gordon.
working today and as such, the current conditions of our time, from shifting racial, sexual and gendered identities, to investigations into popular culture, social networks, history and conflict.
The show adopts a progressive stance on exhibition-making to allow new ways of thinking about art by African diaspora artists to emerge. In a bold move, fixed curatorial themes have been stripped out to create a stimulating space where artworks can be experienced more openly, and where the interplay between the artists’ practices can be observed. As the exhibition curators state, “This is not a show ‘about’ a coherent movement – instead it presents works by British African diaspora artists outside of the usual framing”.
The show features two brand new commissions. Larry Achiampong and David Blandy premiere a new instalment of Finding Fanon, Gaiden, a series where the artists discover the work of political humanist Frantz Fanon as a way of retracing their own relationships to colonialism. Barby Asante’s socially engaged project collaborates with young adults living in Nottingham as co-researchers of an interactive online map that visualises the hidden connections, and unconventional centres of local knowledge about art and culture.
UNTITLED displays a ‘snapshot’ of art today by mapping a variety of practice and medium, including socially engaged projects and the use of online gaming technology; to painting, drawing, performance, film, printmaking and bookbinding. This broad survey approach reveals the key concerns of artists
Addressing the challenge in how collective memory is preserved, Kimathi Donkor’s paintings re-imagine history, and Barbara Walker’s charcoal drawings of black servicemen show their contribution and sacrifices which are often overlooked. Continues overleaf › 5
EXHIBITIONS Image credit: Current page: Pheobe Boswell, detail from Tramlines, 2015. Next page: Bartosz Kali; Keith Piper, Unearthing the Bankers Bones, 2016, video still, courtesy of the artist.
‹ Continued
Popular culture plays a leading role in Harold Offeh’s humorous re-enactments of iconic album covers, NT’s montages of archival film footage, and through Appau Junior Boakye-Yiadom’s sculpture where balloons are playfully used to reenact Michael Jackson’s dance stance. Themes around the migrant crisis and globalisation prevail in Pheobe Boswell’s large-scale drawing of the comings and goings in public space. Evan Ifekoya is inspired by nightlife culture and performative movement, working in a range of mediums such as drawing, installation and video. Ima-Abasi Okon’s site responsive installation explores ideas around language, knowledge and voice and makes reference to issues of access, permission and circulation. Cedar Lewisohn’s presentation interrogates Modernist art histories through a labour intensive set of handbound books and accompanying woodblocks.
The connections between the diverse range of artworks and their relation to the conditions of our time, is at the heart of this season of events. Co-curator Paul Goodwin leads an in-conversation with exhibiting artists (page 8); Larry Achiampong and David Blandy look at identity and race in digital avatars with co-curator Hansi Momodu-Gordon (page 9); Barby Asante’s summit, showcases research formed by participants from Nottingham (page 9); and Barbara Walker leads a gallery tour exploring her practice, past and present (page 10). UNTITLED coincides with Nottingham Contemporary’s exhibition The Place is Here (4 February – 30 April 2017) exploring the context of black British art in the 1980s, which in turn leads the way for our spring exhibition, Unearthing the Banker’s Bones by Keith Piper, a seminal figure in that movement.
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EXHIBITIONS
The Art of Black Hair
Keith Piper: Unearthing the Banker's Bones
CENTRAL GALLERY 14 January – 19 March 2017
MAIN + MEZZANINE GALLERY
In collaboration with Museumand – The National Caribbean Heritage Museum, The Art of Black Hair is a celebration of afro hair and an exploration of hair styling as an art form.
April – June 2017
Next season NAE opens the most substantial presentation of Keith Piper's work in two decades. Graduating from NTU (Trent Polytechnic) in 1983, Piper spent his university years living here in the Hyson Green Flats and co-founded the groundbreaking BLK Art Group; a collective who fought to raise the profile of black artists. Comprising new and existing pieces, the exhibition continues the social and political concerns that have informed Piper’s practice from the beginnings of his career as part of the BLK Art Group, whilst also addressing current anxieties about the impacts of globalisation. This is a touring exhibition commissioned by Iniva (Institute of International Visual Arts) and Bluecoat.
Before Christmas we held a celebratory event where local communities shared their stories, memories and experiences of hair. The result is a series of photographic portraits and testaments that capture personal journeys, the daily ritual of hair styling, and the beauty of afro hair as an expression of creativity, imagination and heritage. We also exhibit a selection of hair memorabilia from Museumand’s archives. Following the exhibition, this important piece of local research and documentation will join the collection of Museumand.
Keith’s Piper’s early work can be seen at Nottingham Contemporary’s exhibition, The Place is Here, exploring Black British art of the 1980s. 7
EVENTS
UNTITLED EXHIBITION LAUNCH
UNTITLED ARTISTS IN CONVERSATION
Friday 13 January
DISCUSSION
WHEN ART SPEAKS: CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP
6pm – 9pm
Thursday 26 January
WORKSHOP
6.30pm – 8.30pm
Saturday 4 February
Our launch event for UNTITLED, a snapshot of the current artistic climate by artists connected to the African diaspora, kick-starts our creative new season of events. Join us to see the work first, hear speeches by the curators Paul Goodwin and Hansi MomoduGordon and NAE’s CEO Skinder Hundal, and dance to African diaspora-inspired tunes by experimental and innovative DJ, Nwando Ebizie. Admission: FREE
1pm – 4pm
Join UNTITLED exhibition co-curator Paul Goodwin in discussion with exhibiting artists Appau Junior Boakye-Yiadom, Ima-Abasi Okon and others as they discuss how artists connected to the African diaspora are investigating and responding to the times we’re in. How are these artists creatively expressing the urgency of the contemporary moment, and what insight can they give about the wider artistic landscape for artists of colour?
Age range: All are welcome
Have you ever wondered what's behind a painting? Or what will happen next in a work of art? Have you ever seen something in a photograph that reminds you of another place or time? How could you capture that emotion? Inspired by the work in our exhibition UNTITLED, Nottingham Black Archive will guide you through the show and will help you to turn your ideas into a poem or piece of creative writing. Admission: FREE
Admission: FREE
Age range: 16 yrs+
Age range: All are welcome Image credit: Current page: Nwando Ebizie; Mohamed Elnahhas; Bartosz Kali. Next page: Barby Asante; Bartosz Kali; Larry Achiampong and David Blandy, Finding Fanon 2, 2015.
Booking recommended for all events 8
EVENTS
OUR CREATIVE FUTURES AND THE CONDITIONS OF OUR TIMES – A GATHERING
FAT THURSDAY – ON A SATURDAY!
THE VIRTUAL SELF
FAMILY
Friday 24 February
Saturday 18 February
6.30pm – 8.30pm
2pm – 4pm
SUMMIT Saturday 11 February 2pm – 5.30pm
Bringing together dialogue, performances and actions, this event draws on a collaborative project created with co-researchers from Nottingham, led by exhibiting artist Barby Asante with sorryyoufeeluncomfortable collective, as part of NAE’s exhibition UNTITLED. Exploring the work of the exhibiting artists, this project considers contemporary art practice; the usefulness of terms like ‘Black Art’; and the social, political and cultural conditions that inform the work of young artists of colour.
DISCUSSION
Signpost to Polish Success are back at NAE to celebrate Fat Thursday – a day when Polish kitchens use all their sweet, fatty foods in delicious recipes in preparation for Lent. They invite you to join them for an afternoon of Polish arts and crafts, storytelling and of course not forgetting a free sample of traditional Pączki, Polish doughnuts. Join us to learn more about Polish culture and customs with fun for all the family. For more information about
As technology becomes a prevalent part of our daily lives, what does the future hold for how we see and navigate our identities at a distance from the body? UNTITLED co-curator Hansi Momodu-Gordon is joined by exhibiting collaborative artists Larry Achiampong and David Blandy to explore how social constructs such as class, race, gender and politics can be solidified or radically challenged in the digital realm. In what ways could these representations one day stand in for our physical bodies?
family activities, see page 13. Admission: FREE Admission: FREE Age range: All are welcome
Admission: FREE Age range: All are welcome 9
Age range: All are welcome
EVENTS
TALK WITH BARBARA WALKER
KHUMBA (U)
GALLERY TOUR
Saturday 4 March
Thursday 2 March
11am – 12.30pm
FAMILY / FILM
6.30pm – 7.30pm
A unique opportunity to hear exhibiting artist Barbara Walker discuss her practice, following her major solo show at mac Birmingham last summer. Creating paintings and drawings of the human figure, Walker’s imagery opens dialogues with viewers, exploring notions of race, identity, belonging, class, power and the politics of how we look at others. Join Walker to hear more about her exhibited work and wider practice.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY: PHENOMENAL WOMEN LIVE MUSIC
Brighten up your weekend by dressing up as your favourite animal and join us for this screening of Khumba! Life is not all black and white for Khumba, a young zebra born with only half his stripes. When his superstitious herd blame him for the sudden drought affecting the land, Khumba sets out to find the legendary waterhole where the first zebras got their stripes. Animal costumes encouraged! For more information about
Wednesday 8 March 6pm – 8.30pm
Join Cultural Vibrations for an evening of comedy, special guests and live music as we celebrate International Women's Day 2017. Featuring Christine Belle (Kemet FM), Coleen Francis (Freedom Arts), Shylaah (UJahm), singer songwriter and author Yelitza, plus more. Join us for an evening for all, celebrating the wealth of rising women in our local Nottingham community.
family activities, see page 13. Admission: FREE Age range: All are welcome
Admission: FREE Admission: FREE
Age range: All are welcome
Age range: All are welcome. Image credit: Current page: Barbara Walker, Big Secret I (2015), conte on paper, photograph by Chris Keenan; Triggerfish Animation Studios; Paul Boast Photography.
Booking recommended for all events 10
EVENTS
WORKING CONVENTION
THE LAST PEDESTRIANS
KATHAK
DISCUSSION
LIVE MUSIC / CAFÉBAR
Sundays from 5 Feb – 25 June
Saturday 18 + Sunday 19 March
Saturday 25 March
10am – 12pm
NAE and Nottingham
7pm – 11pm
Contemporary
Revisiting the Radical Black Arts Working Convention, a significant meeting by key figures in the Black Arts Movement in 1984, this two day event brings together groups and artists connected to the African diaspora from both NAE’s UNTITLED exhibition and Nottingham Contemporary’s The Place
Following the release of their newest album, we are joined by the Nottinghambased band, The Last Pedestrians. This psycho country folk band promise to give you a memorable night of laughing, wincing and dancing. Enjoy a drink or two and a special pub grub menu in the relaxed atmosphere of our CaféBar.
is Here, to discuss the
DANCE CLASS
Kathak is one of the eight classical dances of India that has a strong emphasis on rhythm, expression and grace. Join Vina Ladwa, a trained Kathak dance teacher for this course. Sessions are suitable for beginners. Admission: £7 per each session at the door £6 x full term advanced payment (children or adults)
relevance of issues facing
Admission: FREE
artists and people of
Age range: 18 yrs+
colour today. Travel bursaries are available. See website for more detail in late January. Admission: FREE Age range: 18 yrs+ Image credit: Current page: Bartosz Kali; Simon Parfremont; Bartosz Kali.
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YOUNG PEOPLE
YOUNG PEOPLE AT NAE
YARD YOUNG PEOPLE’S THEATRE
To inspire the next generation of artists and creative producers, New Art Exchange provides a range of opportunities to engage young people with creative practice, from our weeklong holiday programme to our critically acclaimed theatre company.
TUESDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS 1 February – 29 March
Our YARD theatre company helps young people develop a range of skills in performance and creative production. Our Wednesday group will deepen their skills with more specific training, exploring not only drama as a medium, but how to create original theatre work in a dynamic environment, resulting in a performance for the public. We explore the exhibitions, discuss and create. Every Tuesday we play drama games, create stories and devise work with theatre professionals. If you would like to join either group, please do get in touch.
CHOREOGRAPHY AND SELF-EXPRESSION HALF TERM WORKSHOPS Monday 13 – Thusday 16 February 2pm – 4pm
Reinterpret themes of our exhibitions through the medium of dance. With help from our specialist choreographer, this week-long workshop will guide you in creating an exciting new dance piece, learning new techniques in a variety of movement styles along the way.
Sooree@nae.org.uk Admission: FREE (places are limited, so please contact us in advance) Age range: Tue 7 – 10 yrs / Wed 11 – 16 yrs.
Admission: FREE Age range: 11 – 16 yrs
Booking recommended for all events 12
CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
FAMILIES AT NAE
SATURDAY ART CLUB!
NAE is a family friendly environment. As well as our free workshops, we also offer creative activity packs every day, helping you to explore the exhibitions together as a family. Our café offers an affordable kids menu, and colouring activities are always available.
SATURDAYS
FUN DANCE
If you have an artistic practice you would like to share with the group, we'd love to hear your ideas!
14 January / 28 January 4 February / 11 March / 25 March 10am – 12pm
Join in a range of fun family friendly art and craft activities. Parents and children of all ages can become part of our growing community. Join one session or all.
HALF TERM WORKSHOPS Monday 13 – Thusday 16 February 10.30am – 12.30pm
Sooree@nae.org.uk
What is special about you? Is it what you wear, the things you like or where you come from? This fun, movement-based half term workshop series is inspired by our main exhibition and explores what defines us. Building basic dance skills with our specialists, the group will spend the week using music to explore the essence of who we are and how to express this through our bodies.
Admission: FREE Age range: All are welcome Saturday Art Club is designed for parents/carers to stay with their young people throughout the session to play and create together.
OTHER FAMILY EVENTS Fat Thursday (page 9) Khumba (page 10)
Admission: FREE Age range: 7 – 10 yrs
Image credit: Previous page: Erica Melloni; Matthew Vaughan. Current page: Vika Nightingale; Marta Sanches Costa.
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ALSO HAPPENING AT NAE
CREATIVE OPPORTUNITIES
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
REAL CREATIVE FUTURES
We creatively collaborate with communities to develop projects, debates and activities inspired by our exhibitions or the social, political issues that concern our everyday lives.
RCF is back with an offer of free support for creative and digital businesses, whether existing or new. Building on the success of the first programme, the second is set to provide you with support to grow your work and build a sustainable future. If you are creative or are into digital and want to move forward, contact RCF to register your interest.
 Boseda@nae.org.uk
ACCESS PROGRAMME On Tuesday 28 February, 12pm – 1pm, we host the Verbal Imaging Gallery Tour for the visually impaired. On Thursday 23 February, 10.30am and 1pm, we host Body as Canvas, a participatory workshop for young adults with learning and physical disabilities.
 rcf@nae.org.uk
EXPERIMENTOR ExperiMentor is a bespoke support programme for creative practitioners.  Bethan@nae.org.uk (visual arts)
 Bethan@nae.org.uk
 Sooree@nae.org.uk (performance arts)
HERE, THERE & EVERYWHERE
ACADEMICS IN RESIDENCE
HTE is an artistic collaboration between India and the UK, showcasing the finest contemporary art practices across two unique cultures. The programme takes place throughout 2017 – March 2018, to coincide with the seventieth anniversary of India’s independence from the UK. A project led by New Art Exchange with Delfina Foundation, Derby QUAD, Primary and mac Birmingham as UK partners. Look out for NAE’s HTE exhibition launching this July.
We continue to host Tasawar Bashir (University of Birmingham, Qawwali Research Unit) and Harminder Singh (University of Warwick).
› www.herethereeverywhere.live 14
SUPPORT US
VISITOR INFORMATION
BOOKING ONTO EVENTS As our events are popular, we always recommend that you reserve your place in advance. To book please visit our website or call 0115 924 8630. Please arrive 15 minutes before the event start time to ensure a punctual start, as we reserve the right to reallocate unclaimed tickets after the event begins. We hope to see you there!
DID YOU KNOW NAE IS A CHARITY? NAE is a registered charity and non-profit organisation. We rely on funds and gifts of all sizes from trusts, businesses and individuals to support our exhibitions and events. All donations we receive will be doubled by Arts Council England, meaning your generosity goes even further. Contact us for more information on how you can get involved, donate and help us keep our gallery free for everyone!
TICKETS + TRAM NAE is opposite ‘The Forest’ tram stop, a 10 minute ride from city centre. You can travel to an NAE event by tram for only ÂŁ2 return, by purchasing an event ticket from the tram stop to be used in conjunction with a valid NAE event ticket.
 Bhavisha@nae.org.uk
VOLUNTEERING Volunteering at NAE offers a great opportunity to learn valuable skills and to gain insight about working in a gallery. We are always looking for enthusiastic volunteers to join our friendly team.
GALLERY & CAFÉ OPENING TIMES Weekdays 9am – 6pm Weekends 10am – 5pm
 volunteer@nae.org.uk
CONTACT US New Art Exchange, 39-41 Gregory Boulevard, Nottingham, NG7 6BE › 0115 924 8630 › www.nae.org.uk Image credit: Previous page: Mohammad Elzohiry; New Art Exchange. Current page: Bartosz Kali.
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ALL EVENTS
January Fri 13
6pm – 9pm
Exhibition Launch
UNTITLED
Sat 14
10am – 12pm
Family
Saturday Art Club
Thu 26
6.30pm – 8.30pm
Discussion
UNTITLED Artists in Conversation
Sat 28
10am – 12pm
Family
Saturday Art Club
Sat 4
10am – 12pm
Family
Saturday Art Club
Sat 4
1pm – 4pm
Workshop
When Art Speaks
Sat 11
2pm – 5.30pm
Summit
A Creative Gathering
Mon 13 – Thu 16
10.30am – 12.30pm Children
Fun Dance
Mon 13 – Thu 16
2pm – 4pm
Young People
Choreography and Self-Expression
Sat 18
10am – 12pm
Family
Saturday Art Club
Thu 23
10.30am & 1pm
Access
Body as Canvas
Fri 24
6.30pm – 8.30pm
Discussion
The Virtual Self
Tue 28
12pm – 1pm
Gallery Tour / Access Verbal Imaging
Thu 2
6.30pm – 7.30pm
Gallery Tour
Barbara Walker
Sat 4
11am – 12.30pm
Family / Film
Khumba (U)
Wed 8
6pm – 8.30pm
Live Music
Phenomenal Women
Sat 11
10am – 12pm
Family
Saturday Art Club
Sat 18 & Sun 19
TBC
Discussion
Working Convention
Sat 25
10am – 12pm
Family
Saturday Art Club
Sat 25
7pm – 11pm
Live Music / CaféBar
The Last Pedestrians
February
March
Regular workshops Tue & Wed
YARD Young People's Theatre
Sun
Kathak Dance
Collaborating organisations this season: Arts Council Collection, Bluecoat, Cultural Vibrations, Delfina Foundation, Derby QUAD/FORMAT, Experience Nottinghamshire, Iniva, NET Tram, Nottingham Black Archive, Nottingham Contemporary, mac Birmingham, Museumand – The National Caribbean Heritage Museum, Primary, Signpost to Polish Success, The Big House Consortium, University of Birmingham, University of Warwick.
New Art Exchange Registered Charity No. 1121755 Company No. 04899786 Registered in England & Wales
New Art Exchange, 39-41 Gregory Boulevard, Nottingham, NG7 6BE | 0115 924 8630 | www.nae.org.uk