Take a step into our No Colour Bar: Black British Art 1960-1990 Exhibition...
Held at the Guildhall Art Gallery from July 2015 to January 2016, the No Colour Bar Exhibition provided visitors with a unique opportunity to explore the significance of Black British culture through a range of different mediums and the importance of its historical contribution to the UK and its wider impact as a political designation.
Recreating the Bogle-L’Ouverture Walter Rodney Bookshop
At the heart of the exhibition stood a recreation of the Bogle-L’Ouverture Walter Rodney bookshop, created by renowned artist and curator Dr Michael McMillan and sound and visual specialists, Dubmorphology. This remarkable installation served to show the important connection between the championing of black writers, such as Linton Kwesi Johnson or Lemn Sissay, and the support of black artists — such as Errol Lloyd and George "Fowokan" Kelly — through commissions for book covers, posters, greetings cards or the sale of works of art in the shop.
Experiencing the Art
Visitors immersed themselves in this stunning multi-sensory, multi-visual experience including works of art, sculpture, photographs, paintings, letters and other artefacts from around 25 prominent Black artists during this period including Eddie Chambers, Sonia Boyce and Denzil Forrester.
Influenced by the emergence of newly independent African and Caribbean states, global liberation struggles and the fight against unfair discrimination within Britain, these artists found expression by way of ‘creation for liberation’. The exhibition explored these struggles and celebrated their contribution through four powerful themes - ‘Elbow Room’, ‘Broad Shoulders’, ‘Clenched Fists’ and ‘Open Arms’ - challenging the viewer to question the meanings of ‘black art’.
Exhibitions
