To celebrate the contribution many black people throughout history have made to society we were asked to go and visit the "Black Georgians" exhibition at the Black Cultural Archives in Brixton and the "No Colour Bar: Black British Art in Action 1960-1990" at The Guildhall Galleries. In response, we were told to produce a postcard-sized visual representation of anything that particularly stood out and inspired us at these exhibitions.
I felt that this was the less interesting of the two exhibitions as it was smaller and seemed to be more about facts and figures. There was a lot of writing and not as many visual works of art here. However it was insightful to read some personal accounts of those who had experienced hardships during times of racial tension and in particular the slave trade which I had some background knowledge of, having learnt about it at school.
In contrast this exhibition was full of visual imagery and representation of historical events. I was particularly drawn to the wide variety of colours within the artworks displayed here which are perhaps characteristic of the African and Caribbean cultures that these pieces were inspired by.
Black Cultural Archives- Brixton
I felt that this was the less interesting of the two exhibitions as it was smaller and seemed to be more about facts and figures. There was a lot of writing and not as many visual works of art here. However it was insightful to read some personal accounts of those who had experienced hardships during times of racial tension and in particular the slave trade which I had some background knowledge of, having learnt about it at school.
"No Colour Bar: Black British Art in Action 1960-1990"- The Guildhall Galleries
In contrast this exhibition was full of visual imagery and representation of historical events. I was particularly drawn to the wide variety of colours within the artworks displayed here which are perhaps characteristic of the African and Caribbean cultures that these pieces were inspired by.
Overall I felt that this exhibition was the more enjoyable of the two as visually it was much more interesting and engaging.
Final Outcome
For my final postcard design I took inspiration from one of the book cover designs I saw at the Guildhall Galleries. I aimed to create something that was interesting yet simple with a clear message of what it could be about. I chose to use the image of an eye as it is one of the most common associations with identity. I then reflected the same image on both halves of the postcard, applying opposing tones to different parts of the two images. It is therefore symbolic of a white person on one side and a black person on the other which is representative of the racial tensions that have appeared throughout history and of which these exhibitions strive to express.
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