Art Exhibition: I AM

CAP PRESENTS… I AM.

The exhibition will showcase art by black and brown womxn and focus on the theme of identity. I AM is an exploration of the concepts, discourse, and history associated with having a multifaceted identity, which has lacked representation due to negative perspectives rooted in the impact of colonialism.

The featured artists will present visual pieces and poetry expressing themes of *body positivity, colorism, motherhood and more.

I AM is the launch of the Cultural Affairs Project (CAP). This project is aimed to commemorate the achievements and experiences of People of Colour. CAP was founded by Ade Bakare and Raveena, who are activists focused on the liberation and advancements of People of Colour.

Check out our Twitter and Instagram for recent updates on our artists!

Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan is an educator, writer and spoken-word poet. She is the founder and author of the critical and educative blog, http://www.thebrownhijabi.com, and co-author of A FLY Girl’s Guide to University: Being a Woman of Colour at Cambridge and Other Institutions of Power and Elitism (Verve Poetry Press, 2019). With a background studying History and Postcolonial Studies, as well as a wider education from her mother and grandmother’s wisdoms, the epistemology of Islam, and work of women of colour and anti-systemic thinkers from across the world, Suhaiymah’s poetry is unapologetically political and deliberately unsettling. Her poetry has over two million online views and since going viral as runner-up of the 2017 Roundhouse National Slam with her poem, This Is Not a Humanising Poem, she has performed on BBC Radio stations, at music festivals, in the US against Californian slam poets, across British Universities, on Sky TV, ITV, the Islam channel, Las Vegas, TEDxes, London poetry nights, mosques, protests outside the Home Office, in New York, Berlin and at Da Poetry Lounge in Los Angeles.

Her debut collection, Postcolonial Banter (Verve Poetry Press, 2019) comes out on 12 September 2019.

Lena Galore is a hyperrealist artist from London, specialising in graphite and charcoal, and more. Her work mainly focuses on the beauty of portraiture with meticulous attention to detail. Lena aims to replicate the sheer beauty of the world she sees around her. She is currently accepting commissions for portraits and tattoos.

Shannon Bono is a multimedia driven artist, curator and cultural writer graduating from the MA Art & Science course at Central Saint Martins University 2019.

Shannon Bono is invested in producing symbolic layered figurative compositions that centralise the black female body as the subject. Her mission to advocate for the presence of black bodies is captured by the element of scale, colour and anatomical manipulation. She re-imagines these bodies as a map of modernity employing surrealist cues to work as ‘artivisms’ against oppressive forces. Identity, sexuality and body politics are channelled through her works, as a means for expressing the multitude of black feminisms and personal embodied experiences. Bono uses African textile patterns, re-workings of classical art history, health and wellbeing to inform the aesthetic structure and content of her work. Her goal is to educate, inspire and liberate her audience, as an interdisciplinary artist.

Tia Visions creates concepts rooted and motivated by altering the audiences’ perspective on society and how we all view the world. Often, she deliberately evokes feelings of unease in the audience as she grants them insight into a world they may not have been aware of. In previous work, Tia has explored voyeurism with the aim of illustrating the psychological torment and safety around the idea that we are never alone or unwatched through the prolific use of cameras, mobile phones, cctv, telescope, etc. Her photography allows her to constantly experiment with new ways to challenge social norms and what it means to be “normal” and “accepted” in western societies.

Gabriella K A Gay is a mother, teacher, vintage dealer and page-stage poet whose work is rooted in connection, community and highlighting a range of voices. She is the founder of Stoke’s Roaming poets, she was the local writer in residence for Nationwide Voices and she is still the writer in residence at Hanley Car Boot Sale. Gabriella is regularly commissioned to perform, write, organise events and facilitate workshops for a range of organisations such as The New Vic Theatre, The Roundhouse London, Junction 15, Acme Whistles, BBC Radio Stoke and Restoke. Gabriella was shortlisted to be the first poet laureate of Stoke-on-Trent. She has perfomed at Stoke Literary Festival and headlined events locally and nationally, including The Verve Literary Festival in Birmingham.

Taken from a growing collection entitled ‘Subject Gazing Out Of Frame’, Gabriella explores identity, family, history, migration, motherhood and the African idea of Sankofa; going back for that which you have forgotten.

Check out photos from our preview!