Exhibtion runs from: Monday 25th April till Friday 20th May 2016
Opening times: Monday - Friday, 10am - 5pm
Round Table Dicussion with Zita Holboune: Tuesday 10th May, 5pm - 7pm
Address: Women's Art Library, Special Collections Library
Rutherford Building
Goldsmiths, University of London
New Cross
London SE14 6NW
Website: http://www.gold.ac.uk/
Zita Holbourne; Poet~Artist~Activist
Zita is an award winning, trade union, community & human rights campaigner and activist, a visual artist, curator, poet and writer.
Zita studied art & graphic design at the London College of Printing and Watford School of Art. She has worked as a graphic designer, illustrator & make-up artist and exhibits at a range of cultural, community & political events.
She was commissioned by the TUC to design a poster for the TUC Stephen Lawrence Trust Fundraising Appeal; her art has been used for numerous campaign leaflets, flyers, posters, illustrations for journals and books and adverts including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign joining form.
Zita founded and is the curator of the Roots Culture Identity arts movement and touring exhibition to showcase the art of predominantly young black (BME) and migrant artists which includes an annual exhibition at the Trades Union Congress HQ, hosted by the TUC Race Relations Committee, an initiative stemming from the TUC Stephen Lawrence Task Group recommendations. Zita is also the curator of the Black Women in Focus exhibition which was established as part of the same initiative.
Zita has exhibited her art recently at the TUC, the PCS Union HQ, the GMB Union HQ, the CWU Union, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Stratford Picture House, Africa in the World Conference, Newham Arts Festival and many other venues. She was a ‘talking head’ providing commentary in a year long exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, ‘Disobedient Objects’ and has signed up as an artist to Fossil Free Funds.
Zita is a spoken word artist and a performance and published poet. She has performed at a diverse range of events, including the National Diversity Awards, Glastonbury, The Houses of Parliament, and TUC and had the honour of writing a tribute poem and performing this at the official UK Memorial Service for Nelson Mandela. She has also performed on radio and television and been published in a range of anthologies.
Her new collection of poetry to be launched later this year is published by Hansib Publications and features Zita's art as well as her poems.
Zita is a proud and committed trade union activist and is elected to the PCS Union National Executive Committee & the TUC Race Relations Committee.
She is the Co-Founder and National Co-Chair of Black Activists Rising Against Cuts (BARAC) UK, elected to the ACTSA (successor to the Anti-Apartheid Movement) National Executive Council and the Movement Against Xenophobia National Steering Group.
Since summer 2015 Zita has been coordinating humanitarian aid convoys to refugees in France.
https://www.gofundme.com/
Zita won the positive role model for race award at the National Diversity Awards in 2012, was listed as one of the top 10 African & Caribbean Women of the Year in 2013 and was a finalist and one of 5 people's choice poets in the Manorlogz Xtreme Spoken Word Contest in 2013, She is one of 17 British women campaigners featured in the new book Here We Stand; Women Changing the World which won the Bread and Roses Award for Radical Publishing in 2015.
Zita campaigns for Equality, Freedom, Justice & Human Rights through art, poetry and activism.
Web: www.zitaholbourne.blogspot
Facebook: Zita Holbourne; Poet, Artist
YouTube: Zita Poet Activist
Sound Cloud: Zita Holbourne
ASRR 2016
Since I’ve started going through Women of Colour catalogue in Women’s Art Library, I’ve come across valuable, important sources and references. That are still prominent, need to be shared and discussed. We’re still in a time when back and brown women are heavily scrutinised, tokenised and marginalised. Below a quote from an exhibition in 1983 called ‘Black women time now’:
‘However, it is widely known that black women are disadvantaged by both sex and race, and they have thus had little chance to bring their work before the public. The majority of black women artistes work in isolation, without even the support of communication with other artistes in the field. This lack of support and assistance often acts as a stop in allowing these artistes to attain their full potential.
It is this kind of gap that Black Time Now hopes to fulfil. Not only will the festival bring the work of Black women artistes before the public, it will also provide a forum where artistes can come together and discuss their work and share ideas.’
Above quote from 1983, and is still relevant in 2016. ASRR aims to mirror, develop and progress all objectives of ‘Black women time now’.
Women of Colour Catalogue
One of the aims of this exhibition is to go through with artists, Women of Colour catalogue in Goldsmiths archive. And have a conversation with artist, about their feedback of the catalogue, which may also inspire artwork for exhibition.
I also want to go through parts of Women of Colour catalogue with each artist because a lot of artwork in this catalogue by black and brown female artists, has been censored, silenced and ignored. Most artwork in this catalogue has not also been recognised as academic references in art education, and theres hardly any documentation of black and female artists in any well known museum and galleries.
I want to use this project also as an opportunity, to share artwork by black and brown artists with more people. Creating wider discussion about silencing and censoring black art.
Curator: Samia Malik
ASRR Website: https://
Email: asrrart@gmail.com
Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/580664025434274/
