Chelsea College of Art & Design
16 John Islip Street, London, SW1P 4JU
21–24 March 2023
Convened by Brown Leaders and Makers Exist (BL&ME)
In March 2023, Brown Leaders and Makers Exist (BL&ME) held ChArt, a durational and performative exhibition. Hosted at Chelsea College of Arts’ Triangle Gallery, the exhibition featured a selection of artworks and prints, alongside a schedule of performances – all stemming from BL&ME’s debut publication, Cha. The focus was to disseminate the core research findings from the print publication, with an emphasis on the context and format of the exhibition itself as it shifted in form and content throughout the week.
Cha explores the notion of Brownness as a diverse and inclusive mode of cultural identification. In the polarising climate of populism, which has energised divisive nationalist agendas of ‘us and them’, Cha uses the analogy of a tea break to offer a space for contemplating states of cultural in-betweenness. Whilst the notion of Brownness implies skin-color, the ethos of Cha was not restricted to this, rather it aimed to promote diversity, equality, and dialogue through the arts. BL&ME continued along this vein with ChArt.
Event Schedule
ChArt: reads | Tuesday 21 March 2023
Cha has played host to an inspirational selection of spoken word artists from around the world. To kick off the exhibition’s programme, two contributing artists performed live poetry readings.
Suman Gurjal takes pride in shining light on difficult issues to generate discussion, and how personal and global events etch permanent traces on her as an artist. She recently started writing poetry to record her family’s experiences of Partition and reflect on notions of home, belonging, allyship, and identity.
Jay Mitra is a British Indian punk poet and music journalist from Yorkshire. They are a UK Slam Champion, Roundhouse Slam Finalist, winner of the Margate Bookie Making Waves poetry award and are published in print and online, including Cha.
ChArt: talks | Wednesday 22 March 2023
Remi Rana-Allen and Srinivas Surti hosted an afternoon of conversation with a small selection of contributing artists who have both made their impact known in both this exhibition, and 2022’s publication. Cha arose out of a conversation between the two co-curators and co-editors, so BL&ME thought it fitting to continue down this path to allow individuals and groups to express ides about cultural difference and belonging.
ChArt: Meet the co-curators | Friday 24 March 2023
Post-Grad Community invited UAL postgraduates and recent alumni to hear from Remi Rana-Allen and Srinivas Surti, co-curators of ChArt and co-editors of Cha. Guests will learn about the partnership’s creative journeys, both as individual artists and as a collaborative force that has brought together an extensive research community from around the world.
ChArt concluded with an informal drinks reception from 16:00 until 19:00, as well as an opportunity to meet and talk with some of the artists, researchers, poets, writers and other creative practitioners that came together to make this happen.
ChART was funded and supported by:
University of the Arts London’s Post-Grad Community, Research at Camberwell, Chelsea, Wimbledon Colleges of Arts at University of the Arts London, University of the Arts London Student Support Fund, British Art Network, Tate and Paul Mellon Centre.
