Dear Young Black Artist - A Letter from the Future.

May 10

Editor's Note: At the opening event of 'The More Things Change...' exhibition held at the Wolverhampton Art Gallery, a showcase featuring works by key artists of the BLK Art Group, Sepake Angiama, the artistic director of iniva, chose a unique and heartfelt approach to address the members of the group. Instead of a conventional speech, Sepake shared a powerful letter penned to young Black artists, both past and present, urging them to persevere in their creative journeys. This letter, titled "Dear Young Black Artist - A Letter from the Future," is not only a tribute to the artists of the BLK Art Group who refused to give up but also serves as an inspiring call to action for the next generation of black artists.

The words within this letter remind us of the resilience and strength found in the stories and histories of Black artists, as well as the importance of their continued creative endeavours. Sepake's message speaks to the transformative power of art, encouraging young black artists to remain steadfast in their practice and to remember their impact on shaping the future. By sharing this letter, we hope to embolden the artists of today and tomorrow, emphasising the significance of their voices and the essential role they play in our collective narrative..

Don't Give Up!

We need you. Well, at least I need you so that I can see myself in you. You see the world through your lived experiences, but you also awaken us to see things that are hiding in plain sight. You might have realised this is not the usual presentation, but I am writing you this letter because the future needs you. You might not know it yet, but someone is looking at your work and the way in which you see the world, and they are seeing the world through you in new ways too. You are finding ways to tell new stories. We deeply appreciate you, and it's giving them the courage. We are kin. Keep doing what you are doing, and if you are tired of that, try to do it another way… but please, whatever you decide… don't give up!

"...experience lived, experience interpreted, experience defined" - Stuart Hall

Your Work Gives Us Hope…

…hope for a hereafter. An oncoming future. Continuity. We recognise that time is not really linear, so your story has already begun… it began in the storytelling circles; the writing of our stories loops us into looking at the world otherwise. Your ideas might be contested, but listen to what draws you. Your future is expectant, and there is much work to be done. Your archive is embodied, and there is much for you to read, hear, feel, and see. We need to talk it out; I need to know what you are thinking. Are you writing down how you feel? What angers you, excites you? What makes you feel alive? Your sensing is our compass.

Keith Asked Me…

"Are you sure there was a black arts movement?" And then he smiled with his eyes.

Leaflet of the First National Black Art Convention 1982 Programme

I'm Honoured To Be…

In this room with you today. Do you know that we are making tomorrows and even yesterdays? Your thoughts, your ideas, and the time you spend in the quiet hours thinking about what you want to make and the stories you want to tell. A world is waiting for you. We are listening. Are our ancestors whispering? Through their marks in words and images, we decipher new worlds and new ways of being. Through your politics, you are crafting an aesthetics of resistance to usher in the world to come. We are worlding together. We are making shifts and turns. Movements are made through continual collective work, joining waves of inspiration and collectivising memory; we are remembering together and honouring the work of those who have gone before and are yet to come.

Sometimes It's Hard…

I know. because we are tearing things down, pulling them apart, and sometimes starting anew. Or we are dwelling in the 'damaged epistemes' of structures that have tried to extinguish us, to enslave us, to make us invisible and dehumanise us. But you cannot quiet us; we are here, and we are others' futures too. Our voices will be heard, and our stories must be told. Have you found your voice yet? Where is it located? You are bringing life into being with your voice, so don't let anyone tell you that you are not enough. And if 'they' say, "don't," "no, I wouldn't do that if I were you," "you must not"… then push that door a little - you most probably definitely should. Find the line to follow and then don't follow it, stay within it, dance on it, take it off the path, color within it, color without it, color over it. Draw a new line…

Don't Be Afraid To Ask…

…the difficult questions. Have you been called a 'troublemaker'? Good - you are the trickster, the mischievous curious one we've been waiting for. They told us 'not to dig too deeply into our history'. We should, of course, be prepared for the trauma and pain of our stories, but within our existence, we must also find the strength and beauty in our struggle. In our coming together, in recognising and seeing each other. I see you, and I want to witness what you are crafting, what you are weaving together, what you are birthing, and in this force of creativity, we are inhabiting glimpses of freedoms.

Don't Wait For…

…the revolution. For the movement to take you to the shoreline. Be bold… why not… after all, you are young. Make mistakes, fail, fail again, fail better. Have fun. Our freedoms have all been fought for… let's not forget them. Your courage in showing up for others is the strength we need to sustain us. I am challenged by the way you don't accept the status quo, and your insistence is shaping what is to come.

Stay Open

Today could be the day that changes your life forever… or even tomorrow. That one conversation, that new friend you make today, an artist you didn't know about, a book you haven't read, a work or film you have not yet seen. These cultures we share are the ways in which we remind each other of who we are and in so doing begin to understand ourselves. An invitation - expect the unexpected to happen. It's in our coming together that things happen, ideas fly, and we collectivize our actions.

We are the Sum of the Dreams of our Ancestors.

I borrow in part these words from Maya Angelou. "You are the sum total of everything you've ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot - it's all there.” And every now and again, play your music loud; we are the migratory sound of the drum, and you never know who might be summoned by your invitation. So play it loud, dance, and listen. Listen because the whispers are carried in those waves, from the depths of the belly of the ocean, to the archipelagos, across the waves in the dancehalls, and in the movements of your belief and your right of expression.

Marlene Smith, “Do, Please. A Happy Ending” (1987)

With all the love in the sea, the sky, and land,

Sepake

P.S.

Make space. Make space for each other, take time to get to know what space you need.

This letter is part of the Black Blossoms partnership with 'The More Things Change...' exhibition, showcasing artworks by prominent BLK Art Group members. The exhibition will run at Wolverhampton Gallery from April 29th to July 9th, 2023. For more information about the exhibition, please visit the exhibition's website. To learn more about our partnership with Black Blossoms, please click here.

Sepake Angiama

Sepake Angiama is the artistic director of the Institute for International Visual Art in London and a curator and educator whose praxis lies in the discursive and social framework, in order to collectively rewrite our understanding of the world. This has inspired her to work with artists who disrupt or provoke aspects of the social sphere through action, radical forms of pedagogy, and architecture. While in her position as Head of Education, Documenta 14 she initiated the project Under the Mango Tree - a self-organized gathering of unlearning practices. The second edition (Visva Bharati, Santineketan) brought together artist-led spaces, libraries, and schools interested in unfolding discourses around decolonizing education practices that destabilize the European canon, through examining alternative epistemologies, notions of unlearning, and indigenous knowledge. Sepake was the co-curator for the third edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial where her research led her to engage with architects who are embedded in transforming the city through pedagogy, direct action, and community engagement.