Black

The Royal College of Art will collaborate with the African and African Caribbean Design Diaspora at the end of the month for a new show, Black, which will bring together 60 years work by alumni and students of African and African Caribbean descent.

Chris Ofili – Untitled, 1992, oil on canvas
Chris Ofili – Untitled, 1992, oil on canvas

Designers and artists participating include Chris Ofili, Charlie Allen, Eileen Perrier, Faisal Abdu’Allah and Frank Bowling RA, but 23 have been named.

Taslim Martin – Secret Dovetail, sand-cast aluminum stool, 2005
Taslim Martin – Secret Dovetail, sand-cast aluminum stool, 2005

The RCA says it has been spurred by the perception that the college ‘is seen as being a predominantly white university’ and adds that the works in Black are ‘exemplars of creativity’ and ‘points of celebration.’

Taslim Martin – Secret Dovetail, sand-cast aluminum stool, 2005
Paul Jones – HMS Skull Island, 2006 – drawing on paper envelope

It was the AACD which approached the RCA though and brought together the likes of designer Simon Brewster and silversmith Ndidi Ekubia. 

Chris Ofili – Untitled, 1992, oil on canvas
Catherine Anyango – Heart of Darkness, illustration, 2006

Rector of the RCA Dr Paul Thompson hopes that African and Caribbean artists ‘applying to the College will have the confidence  that admission is based on Merit and not any other factor’, he says.

Chris Ofili – Untitled, 1992, oil on canvas
Simone Brewster – Mammy Table and Negress Chaise, 2011 – solid turned tulip wood

Black will run from 31 August- 6 September at the Henry Moore Galleries, Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore, London, SW7

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  • Ellie Shopova November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    If the aim of the exhibition is to convince us that the admission to the college is based ‘on merit and not on any other factor’ [ i presume the reference here is to skin colour] than isn’t organising an exhibition based on skin colour achieving the opposite effect? Isn’t this patronising? I can identify myself by much more than my white skin so why should it be different for artists of different colour?

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