Taking Art to the Streets
Tate Collective presents a new public art commission, Beyond Boundaries, in collaboration with Better Bankside, featuring five up-and-coming artists.
The prominent Tate Modern gallery; a host of exhibitions to some of the greatest and most celebrated artisans in the world – ranging from Louise Bourgeois and Rothko, to Ai Weiwei and Yayoi Kusama, since its opening in 2000. Tate Modern has a world-wide reputation of showcasing a multitude of art-forms from world-renowned artists to nurturing new and emerging talent.
Reopening its doors from the 17th May, after being forced to shut once again since December 2020, Tate Modern has announced many extensions to their current showings, as well as launching a new Young People’s Programme, Beyond Boundaries, in collaboration with Better Bankside to create a public art commission featuring five emerging young artists.
Launching on 26th May, each artist was specifically selected by the Collective Producers based on their personal style and mediums, which was later executed by Absolute Studios in the outdoor spaces. “As a team, we compiled a long list of artists who had been introduced to us either by partners or other artists we had worked with through the programme, and combined this with artists that were suggested by a group of Tate Collective Producers,” explains Péjú Oshin, Young People’s Programme Curator, who was responsible for the making of this entire project.
Working with the Southwark’s community in mind, each artist received a brief exploring various themes, including the past year spent in lockdown, which they expressed in their own unique style. The project also considers the role of museums and reopening of art galleries post-lockdown across the country.
“Beyond Boundaries takes our collective experiences of 2020 as a starting point,” explains Rachel Noel, Young People’s Programme Convenor, “but it also invites the artists to look beyond this in thinking about how we might use public space in different ways as we remerge into society.”
With restrictions still in place after easing of lockdown regulations from May, the gallery had to think of more inclusive and innovative opportunities, “to move beyond the boundaries of the physical spaces of our buildings,” explains Péjú. After a year of restricted movement, many are excited to experience the physicality of the art scene within the gallery’s walls, yet Tate’s curators acknowledge that for many, leaving their homes will be a big step – “these sites are intermediate spaces that offer the opportunity for people to (re)connect with the world, art, and our galleries through these chance encounters with art in the Bankside area,” says Péjú, “Beyond Boundaries is a reminder that art is taking place all around us.”
At 23, we had the opportunity to meet all the emerging five artists commissioned for the Beyond Boundaries project, and speak to them about their commissioned work, their practice, and where to view their public art pieces.
KOBY MARTIN
‘Spotlight Dreams’ and ‘Broken Renovations’ – Southwark Street Arches
A proud Ghanaian expat, who has nurtured his talents in England – Martin merges both worlds to create paintings based on the influence of his African descent. His work is an exploration of his life, portraying the human narratives of family, migration, nostalgia, and emotions; an autobiography that can resonate with many.
As part of the Beyond Boundaries project, Martin researched the history of Southwark to best express the community of the borough, while also weaving in motifs that resonate with his Ghanaian heritage and influence – known as Adinkra. These symbols are integrated in each one of his art works; the artist’s signature mark, and have a distinctive meaning of family, unity, or even death. “It’s important to know where you’ve come from; to know where you’re going,” says Martin.
“It’s so humbling to have this opportunity,” says Koby, who arrived to the project just two weeks before the deadline. Martin was previously approached by Tate Collective, as part of a commissioned collaboration with My Runway Group, and to talk about his inspiration of work; Lynette Yiadom-Boakye (currently exhibiting at Tate Modern) as part of a panel– making this his third project for the Collective.
What peaked Martin’s interest was the borough’s history of a bombed church; All Hallows Church. It was tragically destroyed during WWII, and converted into a recording studio, Blackwings Studios, in 1980s who recorded albums for the likes of Depeche Mode and Yazoo. Fascinated by its history, Martin tried to pay a tribute to the church’s unorthodox history, “a memorial of what it was before,” explains Koby, and with that, to religion itself, which always prevails in moments of trauma. “God gifted me with this ability,” he says, “I am his vessel.”
An additional segment of his piece, was influenced by the ban of women acting on stage until the mid-17th Century, which urged him to paint men dressed as women on stage. “I like the sense of humour in it,” explains Martin. The depiction of comedy ties the piece together and portrays a sense of light-hearted hopefulness of the post-pandemic world within the Southwark borough. The entire mural consists of a large wall piece on the Street Arches, as well as three floor pieces that connect the whole artwork.
“I hope this [art project] will make people more comfortable coming out of this pandemic,” says Martin, “to reconnect people through art.” The mural paintings are intended as a symbol of hope and refuge, regardless of religion or beliefs, reconnecting people after a year of isolation.
MEGAN VISSER
‘Gastro Gusto’ – M&S Square (Southwark St.)
A quiet soul with a fierce creative mind, Megan is a multidisciplinary artist specialising in video and sculpture - combining these artistic elements to create humorous and absurd short films. Their colourful palette and surreal aesthetic reveal references of advertising, pop culture, and feminist art history to reveal the underlying complexity of the images and sense of self in post-digital culture.
With her first artistic commission, Visser didn’t expect to have been approached by Tate Collective for a project of such large magnitude. “I really didn’t know what I wanted to do,” Megan states, with a sense of overwhelming. “But once I saw the site and the surrounding areas,” she continues, “I could visualise the piece.”
Fascinated and heavily-influenced by human anatomy and medical illustrations, Visser’s work explores exaggerated and surreal body fragments. Her previous work involves videos of abnormal feet and leg sculptures, and focus on the form of ‘reflexology’.
Inspired by the local community of people dining, gathering, and working, Visser instantly connected her allocated site to “elements of digestion,” as she explained, “there’s a movement through the space.”
Considering the restrictions we have endured throughout the last year, and our changed priorities, Megan wanted to emphasise the importance of eating and socialising, as well as free-movement. “Self-care, health, and eating are at the forefront of people’s minds,” explains Megan, “it is the only thing we can currently do to socialise.”
Despite predominantly working with videos, she decided to connect with her sculptural and illustrative side, creating an interactive floor painting where the audience can move through the bold and colourful ‘digestive system’, exploring various elements of the piece. “There’s a lot of high-rise offices in the area,” says Megan, “they’re going to get the best view [of the piece].”
“I wanted to do something else,” explains Megan, “something that was a little but more 3D.” The aspect of interaction was the most important component of the piece to Visser – she wants people to walk through it and see a different element each time; she wants kids to be jumping from tooth to tooth and question what the piece represents; she wants to bring the fun and curiosity of the urban outdoor back into our lives.
BLK MOODY BOI
‘Safely Trans Outside’ – Gambia St.
As a non-binary trans Afro-Indigenous Latinx self-taught illustrator, Blk Moody Boi aims to highlight love and tenderness as a form of radical resilience against white cis-het patriarchal capitalism and bring joy to other BIPOC trans kin through celebration, and archiving their stories.
Community narratives hold a particular significance in Blk Moody Boi’s artistic practice, “everyone has to plan everything that they do for their safety now,” they explain, “but for trans and queers, life is like that everyday – regardless of the pandemic.” Through highlighting the difficulties of the past year, Blk Moody Boi aims to shed a light of awareness for what trans and queer individuals face on daily basis to protect themselves from violence and harassment.
“I’m very concerned about the heightened public violence,” says Blk Moody Boi, “as I, like so many other queers and trans people, have experienced.” Self-defined as a socio-political art activist, Blk Moody Boi is an advocate for a Latin American organisation against domestic violence and a previous worker for a trade union organisation –sharing the narratives of trans people, which strikingly come through in their pieces.
Their self-taught illustrations portray non-binary characters, which were nurtured by receiving an old iPad from their fellow trans friend and watching anime, cartoons, and comic books. “I don’t see myself as an artist necessarily,” they said, “it’s such a recent phenomenon.”
“I try to draw things that I don’t see other people do,” they say humbly. Centring representation of marginalised communities in their work, Blk Moody Boi is guided by stories of racism, ableism, colourism, and transphobia. “When I draw,” they say, “I think about the beautiful that has been denied.”
Their expressive use of bold colours can be linked to their upbringing in the Caribbean, surrounded by many plants, lively hues, and patterns; the artist’s signature style. The simple, yet powerful, illustrations convey the message of “what you see, is what it is,” says Blk Moody Boi.
Their mural for Beyond Boundaries explores the safety and security of trans individuals, “specifically what will bring my kin joy,” they explain. “There’s something about a public space,” they say, “that makes people reconnect with art.”
HANNAH HILL
‘He(art) is Everywhere’ – Terry’s Caffe (Great Suffolk St.)
A London-based illustrator, of Guyanese and Indian descent, Hill uses the unconventional medium of embroidery to spread awareness of body positivity, feminism, sex, and politics, concentrating on human narratives and starting conversations.
The previous Tate Collective curator is inspired and motivated by our 40,000-year-old connection to needle and thread. Hannah creates small motifs and illustrations to reconnect with her female ancestors, “in the Western society, embroidery has been adapted as a domestic hobby – not an artistic skill,” she explains, “it still isn’t widely respected.” However, Hill is breaking the stereotypes by using juxtaposition and irony of using embroidery to speak of feminism and politics.
Her mini motifs; bold in colour and distinctive style, resonate emojis – each being punchy and interpreted subjectively to various viewers. Concentrating on the aspects of work/life balance during the pandemic, Hannah highlights our reassessments, changed perspectives and priorities during isolation, focusing on ‘life’ past the pandemic.
“I hope it makes people smile,” says Hill, “I hope they see something different every time they walk past it.” The art piece will be spread across two walls of a building across Terry’s Caffe; brightening a previously dismissed and disregarded location.
The art activist felt limited in the commission due to restriction to speak her political mind (to full extent), which has intensified during the pandemic. However, she did incorporate subtle hints of socio-political history of the borough and current conflicts within the canvas – “the red umbrella is a universal symbol for sex workers,” says Hill, for which she felt important to tribute in the mural. “Sex workers are still not seen as labourers,” she continues, “they are and always have been exploited.”
Through her arrangement of the motifs, Hill positioned burning candles and crossbones next to the red umbrella to symbolise a memorial of the mistreated and forgotten sex workers of the borough, where their remains were disposed. “By the way the images are placed together,” she explains, “they tell a story.”
“Some of them, aren’t necessarily relevant to one another,” she says, “it’s for you to make those connections.” However, the overall piece guides you through a story of the borough through small connections that represent the community of the past and the present.
Hannah will be releasing an embroidery colouring book in Summer ’21, Hanecdote’s School of He(art), aiming to share her skill and magic of embroidery for people to freely express themselves – more info @hanecdote.
ZEINAB SALEH
‘Tunes For Your Head Top’ – Canvey St.
Born in Kenya, the London-based multi-disciplinary artist uses a unique combination of painting, drawing, video, and music to explore her intimate histories; linking the personal to the collective. Working with her family’s VHS tapes of home videos, featuring famous songs by artists like Mariah Carey, Saleh examines her family’s relationships, culture, and self.
“Music has gotten me through a lot of things [over lockdown],” says Zeinab, “it lifted my spirits.” Influenced by Jeremy Deller’s ‘The Histroy of the World’, the Venn-diagram piece is an accumulation of songs that correspond and overlap with different feelings the artist sensed; isolation, loneliness, safety and danger, love, and social distancing. “It’s about forming different relationships where you wouldn’t think there would be,” she explains.
Working across different disciplines, Saleh includes layers of meaning to her work – “I want there to be a variation, that marries well and is not revealed to you all at once,” she says, “you have to sit there and take it in.” She continues, “like with bass notes,” – there’s layers to it.
“A lot of the times, when reading books or watching TV, we’re told what to think,” she says, “but with paintings and music it’s pretty open to your own interpretation – which is what I love.” Designed as a floor piece, Saleh intended for the artwork to be interactive; a local to be stopped in their tracks when they recognise a song and “send a photo to their friends or their bae,” she said, or a child hopping in-between the theme’s circles like hopscotch.
“I want to bring that conversation, that art is inclusive of music,” she says, “music is so universal, that a lot of people can enjoy.” The borough is famous for the birthplace of the acid house music genre; where in the 1980s it was the biggest youth revolution and underground scene in the UK for decades. To this day, various artists reside in Southwark for the music scene and its history.
“A lot of the work at galleries can be quite alienating,” she says, “I wanted this to be something that can resonate with the community.” Zeinab is a co-founder of Muslim Sisterhood, an inclusive art collective that centres around the Muslim community. Beginning as a photography project on Instagram, the collective has expanded to a global community of Muslim women and non-binary people.
“I didn’t grow up with positive images of Muslim women,” she explains, “so to be able to create that for girls, and a younger version of myself, is something I find really fulfilling.” The Muslim Sisterhood produced a debut zine featuring stories of female and non-binary Muslim identities in contemporary British society.
The Muslim Sisterhood Zine is available to buy at the ICA Bookshop and online on muslimsisterhood.bigcartel.com. Check their website for their launch of hoodies and crewnecks soon!
Beyond Boundaries: Tate Collective x Better Bankside public art commission will launch on 26th May 2021, and will be available to the public for at least six months.
Lynette Yiadom-Boakye’s ‘Fly in League with the Night’ exhibition has been extended until 31st May 2021, bringing together 80 works from 2003 to present day; the artist’s most extensive survey to date.
Tate Modern will be opening its doors from Monday 17th May and extending their dates for previous exhibitions – check online for extended dates. All visitors and members must book timed tickets before visiting the gallery and/or exhibition.
