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Miranda Forrester

Left: Milkless, Right: Unity by Miranda Forrester. Courtesy of the artist and Tiwani Contemporary.

Milkless, Oil paint and gloss on polycarbonate, 2023

This intimate painting was made shortly after the birth of Forrester’s daughter. The artist recalls: ‘one time during a night waking, my daughter was crying and wouldn’t settle with me. She wanted my partner who was breastfeeding. At that moment, I felt a huge sense of inadequacy; I thought I was not the preferred parent… I think when you are a non- gestational parent, there is initially a sensitivity about bonding and roles, particularly because of the judgement you face externally, and due to the lack of visibility and examples of queer families.’

Unity, Oil paint and gloss on polycarbonate, sapele frame, 2023

Painted on to clear polycarbonate, Forrester’s paintings are designed for the queer Black female gaze. This is one in a series of paintings the artist made during a residency in Brescia, Italy, in 2023. One of the figures depicted here is artist Sola Olulode, whose work is displayed nearby.

The artist explains: ‘the works feature a queer black couple in very tender moments, centring them in this grand space that typically we haven’t seen black bodies occupying. I was thinking about the way in which historically the labour of black people has contributed to these grand and illustrious spaces without recognition.’

Anthea Hamilton

4th Guimard Chastity Belt by Anthea Hamilton. Touchstones Rochdale, Rochdale Arts and Heritage Service. No. 1628

4th Guimard Chastity Belt, Perspex, steel fixings, chain, dried organic material, 2016

This sculpture mimics the form of a chastity belt, underwear designed to stop the wearer, typically female, from engaging in sexual activity. They remind us here of the way women’s bodies have been controlled and their sexuality policed.

Hamilton’s stated inspiration for this series is characteristically broad. The laser-cut design is inspired by Art Nouveau pioneer Hector Guimard (1867-1942), famous for designing the entrances to the Paris Metro system. The work was also informed by the artist’s interest in the body armour of Henry VIII (1491-1547).

Lubaina Himid

Fire Brigade by Lubaina Himid. Courtesy of the artist and Hollybush Gardens, London and Greene Neftali, New York

Fire Brigade, Mixed media sculpture, 2023

Himid oftens paints directly onto found objects. This wooden fire engine is one of four works the artist made in 2023 using found objects. The artworks were made in response to the 7,450 people who are currently sleeping rough or in temporary accommodation in Manchester.

The wooden fire engine, repurposed as a makeshift bookcase, is illustrated with patterns from East African kanga textiles. Alongside these, two figures are depicted in profile, characteristic of the artist’s style.

Evan Ifekoya

Ojulowo by Evan Ifekoya. Made with filming support by Katarzyna Perlak. Purchased in 2020. WAG 2020.5

Ojulowo, Video, 2014

Ojulowo is one in a series of four ‘music videos’ made by Ifekoya that seek to ‘queer’ the medium. Using the visual language and format of pop music videos, they combine low- fi DIY aesthetic and sound to explore themes of identity, including gender, race and sexuality.

The title is a Yorubu word, often translated to mean ‘genuine, original and authentic’. The artist explains: ‘frustrated with the policing of boundaries around identities…this video is a playful investigation into what authenticity really is, or isn’t, pronunciation is not important here.’

Onyeka Igwe

No Archive Can Restore You by Onyeka Igwe. Commissioned by Tyneside Cinema as part of the artists’ programme Projections and produced in association with the KW Production Series, a co-production by Julia Stoschek Collection and Outset Contemporary Art Fund

No archive can restore you, video, 2022

This video was filmed in the empty Nigerian Film Unit (NFU) in Lagos, Nigeria. Footage of its abandoned rooms is overlaid with imagined audio from the films made there.

The NFU was founded in 1949. It made health and educational films for local audiences, and newsreels and documentaries for British viewers. Igwe explains: ‘the films housed in this building are hard to see because of their condition, but also perhaps because people do not want to see them. They reveal a colonial residue that is echoed in the walls of the building itself.’

Claudette Johnson

Ink Study (Head) by Claudette Johnson. Courtesy of the artist and Hollybush Gardens Collection, London

Ink Study (Head), Indian ink on paper, 2020

Johnson spoke at the first Black Art Convention, in Wolverhampton in 1982, arguing that Black women’s work needed to be discussed on its own terms. Her presentation is often cited as the catalyst for a series of exhibitions that focused on Black women’s work in the 1980s.

The artist’s large-scale drawings unapologetically take up space in the gallery, centring the lives and experiences of her network. This piece exemplifies Johnson’s careful technique and intricate line work, which captures the spirit of the sitter.

Rachel Jones

lick your teeth, they so clutch by Rachel Jones. Courtesy of the artist

Lick your teeth, they so clutch, Oil pastel & oil stick on canvas (unstretched), 2021

This abstract, colourful painting is over seven metres long. The artist’s chosen materials create a dense, rich surface of seductive marks. Only from a distance do we see the recognisable forms of teeth and lips emerge. It is from a series by the artist that explores the mouth.

Jones explains: ‘everyone has a mouth, and everyone understands what it is to have pain in your mouth and your teeth, or for that to be a site of pleasure… It sits at different register points for people in a way that is relatable.’

Nnena Kalu

Drawing 21 by Nnena Kalu. Courtesy of the artist, ActionSpace and Arcadia Missa, London

Drawing 21, Graphite, chalk pen and pen on paper, 2021

Drawing 21 combines two ‘vortex’ drawings by the artist. It is part of an ongoing series that explores the spiral form and enables the artist to explore their interest in the process of mark making and colour. Here, bright blue and green stand out against darker swirling lines.

The drawings were created together on the same day,an imperfect mirror of each other. The artist follows their instincts when drawing, responding to the physical experience of making each piece.

Ivy Kalungi

Calling Rods by Ivy Kalungi. Courtesy of the artist

Calling Rods, Steel, ceramics, bioplastic and cowrie shell, 2024

Kalungi’s practice explores ideas around migration, identity and collective memory. The artist says: ‘I am interested in how memory functions, but particularly how it functions in today’s age because of how fast technology is moving.’

This sculpture was made for a recent solo exhibition, in which the artist explored personal and collective trauma. Kalungi says: ‘the legacy of trauma resonates through generations, often unrecognised and poorly addressed. Our community finds solace within itself, mourning the lost potential of our Black legends and finding comfort where explanations are unnecessary.’

Sumuyya Khader

Left: Glance Away, Right: Then Stare by Sumuyya Khader. Courtesy of the artist

Glance Away, Then Stare, acrylic paint on canvas, 2023

Khader explores place and identity in their paintings and prints. Their style is predominantly figurative, with anonymous faces depicted in the artist’s signature bold, flat style. These paintings mark a key change in the artist’s practice, presenting a study on the tone, depth and richness of the colour Black.

The artist curated this exhibition. Khader’s practice follows the creative legacy of earlier Black artist-curators such as Maud Sulter (1960-2008), lifting up and celebrating the work of other Black creatives with sensitivity and insightfulness.