Retrospect, Reality, Reform is a physical exhibition promoted by ROOT-ed Zine at The Tetley. It bridges the gap between art magazine and gallery exhibition. Four female artists of colour, Yasmin Ali and Hanna Gwynn from Liverpool, Linnet Panashe Rubaya and Simone Yasmin from Leeds, have been invited by ROOT-ed Zine, to showcase their work alongside a room devoted to the Zine itself.
ROOT-ed (Revolution Of Our Time) is a self-published zine and social platform that aims to promote, support, represent and inspire creative people of colour within the North West of England. Wings have been spread a little – appropriately, two Leeds based artists have joined for this exhibition.
Founded by Amber Akaunu and Fauziya Johnson, who met when studying Fine Art at Liverpool Hope University, ROOT-ed is now promoting artists physically and in print. Thirteen editions of ROOT-ed have now been published. Early editions attracted some major interviewees, including Lubaina Hamid, whereas later editions have been topic based, many around identity, perhaps ethnic or sexual identity but also the identity that comes through the social implications of hair or food.
The four artists chosen for this exhibition all have something to say about identity, their own identity and how others perceive people of colour.
Hanna Gwynn’s work in the Atrium was commissioned for this exhibition. Symbols are used to help us consider the present and possible future. while historical figures such as Malcolm X and David Oluwale, remind us of past and present struggles. In a gallery space, she also displays her skills as a comic artist, exploring her identity as a black lesbian.
The second exhibition at The Tetley until January is Hibiscus Rising: Creating a Memorial for David Olawale by Yinka Shonibare. It is fitting that Gwynn’s work references both Hibiscus flowers and Oluwale. Her work sits well alongside Shonibare’s plans to build a 9.5m memorial to honour Oluwale’s life.
Simone Yasmin, a visual and spoken word artist born and based in Leeds, creates work that asks uncomfortable questions about justice. In gallery I, she responds to the phrase ‘there’s a chip on your shoulder’ by leading us into a bark filled room where we encounter the names of victims of police violence. People whose reputations have been besmirched, innocents who are still somehow seen as responsible for their own demise.
Next door in Can You See This? she highlights the media’s treatment of different ethnic groups during the Russian- Ukraine war. A darkened room with words reflected upon a floor mirror and a surrounding audio presentation encourage reflection upon the injustice described.
Linnet Panashe Rubaya is an artist I have been aware of for some time. Based in Leeds but born in Zimbabwe, her work is beginning to gain international recognition.
She has just exhibited in Milan, alongside other Zimbabwean artists. Her art has strength, bold colours and strong Black bodies. Her work is always figurative, but here it has become more stripped back, focussing upon the female form and using the breast plate as a motif suggesting armour, uniform and strength. The palette is vibrant but also limited, again raising questions around identity and uniformity.
GURI translates from Somali as house or home. Yasmin Ali has used film and photography to explore identity and belonging. Her film takes you on an immersive journey. I found myself wishing I could taste the rice cooked on an African beach, imagining that I too could look over the Liverpool skyline.
At the end of the exhibition is a room decorated with pages from ROOT-ed Zine and where you can browse all thirteen copies. There is also the opportunity to respond to the exhibition – a tablecloth spread on a table awaits written thoughts. Comments and the output from a school takeover will contribute to a new zine, to be published at the end of the exhibition.
Feature image shows the work of Linnet Panashe Rubaya.
ROOT-ed Zine: Retrospect, Reality, Reform
Runs until January 22nd 2023.
Entry is free of charge.
