Reclamation : Socially Engaged Art and Anti-Racism in the Midlands 1960s to 1980s

Reclamation explores the relationship between anti-racism and socially engaged art in the Midlands during the 1960s-1980s. It highlights the artistic and cultural richness brought by migrants, their communal and anti-colonial ideas, and their dedication to social justice.

Socially engaged art involves the audience as active participants, resembling the methods used by anti-racist activists. The exhibition showcases the fluid and hybrid nature of community artmaking and activism during this period, drawing from diverse traditions outside traditional art institutions. It centres the voices of Global Majority communities.

The exhibition visits the past through a non-linear historical narrative encouraging reflection on these concepts while amplifying the voices of Global Majority communities. Reclamation consists of stories on the gallery's outer walls, providing a short historical overview of the past century. In between the outer wall, there are panels which focus on specific examples in the Midlands, including the poetry readings from the Indian Workers Association, educational classes offered by the Westminster Endeavour for Liaison and Development (WELD), and the communal space created by the maiden Nottingham Mela. These serve as the foundation for an alternate paradigm of collaborative art creation, where elements like de-colonial pedagogy, communication and active listening, and notions of citizenship take centre stage.