Revisiting the work of Black Artists in Scotland through New Collecting
Gallery 1
From 5 March 2022

Revisiting the Work of Black Artists in Scotland through New Collecting is a show in the opulent Gallery 1 at GoMA that revisits the work of Black artists in Scotland through recent collecting. In collaboration with Mother Tongue – an independent curating duo – the exhibition focuses on showing older works from Glasgow Museums’ collection as well as new acquisitions through the New Collecting Award from Art Fund. Informed by Mother Tongue’s research, Revisiting the Work of Black Artists in Scotland through New Collecting will reflect on the current and historic presence of Black artists living, working, exhibiting and studying in Scotland.

As an art-historical project, Revisiting the Work of Black Artists in Scotland through New Collecting attempts to create a new narrative within Scottish art, one that is more cognisant of issues surrounding race and visibility. There has been a significant lack of local recognition for many of the artists within this exhibition, and equally, their time spent in Scotland has often been omitted from broader Black-British art histories. The New Collecting Award aims to address the absence of Black artists within Glasgow Museums own collection; confronting issues of representation, decolonialisation and urges a rethinking of traditional Scottish art narratives.

Artists: Barby Asante, Tam Joseph, Donald Locke, Maud Sulter, Lisandro Suriel, Alberta Whittle, Aubrey Williams, Matthew Arthur Williams, Ajamu X