Shane’s telling Contribution

DʼAllessandro

AN ARTIST very much inspired by talks with his gran as he grew up, Shane D’Allessandro’s Windrush painting exhibition, entitled Contributions, is currently being displayed in the Challenging Histories gallery at the International Slavery Museum.

The piece aims to highlight the contributions of Black people the world over, but notably the Caribbean, to British society.

D’Allessandro told The Voice he was inspired to bring the creation to life during a period that allowed him to reflect on what it was to be Black and British right now.

“There were a few factors (that inspired the creation), but it was during the height of Covid and when the Black Lives Matter movement had just emerged, and I just sat down with my brother and I was like, I want to do a piece that brings everything together.

“The Windrush Scandal at the time was at the forefront of the media, so I just thought is there something that I can do, like a colonial piece that incorporates different factors, and I was looking at the flags, African flags and Caribbean flags, and my brother was like, why don’t you do a montage of flags?”

The family inspiration didn’t stop there. D’Allessandro, of Jamaican and Italian heritage, enthused: “My grandma is obviously of the Windrush Generation, and I spent a lot of time with her and my dad’s family.

“She passed away a couple of years ago. She came over with her brother and she settled in South London, Woolwich and Brixton, and then ended up in Charlton.

“You hear stories from your grandparents and parents about how things were in the 1960s and ‘80s and you’re like OK, but then you get an instance of something that will happen today and you’re like, OK, people still harbour those same sort of views.

“Of course, there has been progress. More inclusion, more diversity, which is nice.”

D’Allessandro originates from Suffolk, but currently resides in London. His passion for art and his unique perspective on social issues have propelled him into the spotlight, culminating in the exhibition at the renowned International Slavery Museum in Liverpool.

A professional in the world of logistics by day, he says art for him at this point is still a sidehustle.

With Contributions’, D’Allessandro seeks to evoke a sense of solidarity among all Black individuals in the United Kingdom, regardless of their specific origins.

Although his painting does not include every Caribbean flag, its intention is to symbolise unity and recognition for these marginalised communities.

“I wasn’t sure how that would work and how I would communicate that on canvas, and I just started sketching on an A5 sketchbook and after a couple hours I sketched the basis of how it would look.

“Then I was apprehensive because I was like, OK, I’ve sketched it but how do i get it geometrically correct on canvas and realise it in painting form?

“Then I just got on with it. I was working from home at the time and as I was painting it I thought, OK, I’m not sure how this will look but it seems to be something quite special that is being pulled together.”

Powered by the spirit of his ancestors, D’Allessandro says, mustering the confidence to put his work out there has given him a fervour to create more pieces, but at his own pace. “I’ve always wanted to paint and I’ve always been drawing, just in pencil, like all of my life.

“When Covid struck it gave everyone time to think about what I wanted to do and if there was anything that I wanted to try, and that’s when I went out and bought some paints and got stuck in.

Contributions is actually the second painting I’ve ever painted.

“I guess you get to a point where you have to take the plunge and you have to have the confidence and the gumption to do it. I’m not saying I’m not confident. I just want to be in that flow of feeling like I can do this all the time.”

He added: “I really like painting portraits of people. I painted

Elvis for my mum for Christmas a couple years ago and I have a Bob Marley on the way and a Thierry Henry and a Dennis Bergkamp. I feel like if I had more time to do it, that would be great.”

D’Allessandro’s upcoming exhibition at the International Slavery Museum stands as a testament to his artistic talent and his dedication to shedding light on underrepresented narratives.

Through his thought-provoking works, he strives to ignite conversations, foster understanding, and ultimately contribute to a more inclusive and compassionate society.

He concluded: “It’s always an honour to have your work featured anywhere. As an emerging artist, that’s a big thing.”

INSPIRATION:

Shane’s gran, Velma, was behind his work, which is now on display in the Challenging Histories gallery at the International Slavery Museum, far right. Photo: Gary W Smith