One of our favourite venues in London is Somerset House, on the banks of the river Thames, just by Waterloo Bridge. From London Fashion Week, to open air concerts, exhibitions and parties – this is a place for pop culture discovery. News comes in of a new expo, Black Venus opening in July and we think it’s perfect for hairdressers!
A visual feast
Curator Aindrea Emelife
This is an exhibition which examines the historical representation and shifting legacy of Black women in visual culture. Curated by Aindrea Emelife, a Nigerian-British art historian, this is a chance to see the work of more than 20 Black women and non-binary artists as they explore the othering, fetishisation and reclamation of narratives around Black femininity. As we know, hair plays a role. See this selection of images for inspiration…
What to see?
Black Venus pairs 40+ contemporary and primarily photographic artworks with a selection of archival imagery, dated between 1793 to 1930. They illustrate historical depictions of Black women and the caricaturing of the Black body. Exploring the many faces of Black femininity, the show’s contemporary works offer what the exhibition press release calls “a riotous affront to a centuries-long dynamic of objectification, showcasing all that Black womanhood can be and has always been.”
Simply organised into three archetypes, here you’ll
• the Hottentot Venus
• the Sable Venus
• the Jezebel.
Through the use of these three thematic pillars, Black Venus examines the shifting image of the Black woman in visual culture and the complex lived experience that informs the work of cross-generational women and non-binary artists today.
Aindrea Emelife
The curator of Black Venus says: “Rather than simply putting forth a compelling group of contemporary talent, Black Venus defines a legacy. At a time when Black women are finally being allowed to claim agency over the way their own image is seen, it is important to track how we have reached this moment. In looking through these images, which span different stages of history, we are confronted with a mirror of the political and socio-economic understandings of Black women at the time and how the many faces of Black womanhood continue to shift in the public consciousness.”
The exhibition opens at Somerset House, following the opening of its residency at San Francisco’s Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD).
Visit from 20 July – 24 September… follow: @somersethouse #BlackVenus
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