Featuring at the annual London Art Week which attracts thousands of visitors enjoying the best of art at the Frieze Art Fair, the 1.54 Contemporary African Art Fair, the design fair PAD, the Bonhams Modern & Contemporary Art Auction, and over a hundred art events happening across the city, is an exhibition titled; \u201cNo Room For Fear\u201d.<\/p>\n
Inspired by the prophetic words of late Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison, the art exhibition \u201cNo Room For Fear\u201d, co-curated by one of Nigeria\u2019s foremost galleries dedicated to showcasing cutting edge art in non-traditional exhibition spaces, SMO Contemporary Art, and the Black British Female Artists Collective (BBFA), is being hosted and supported by leading international law firm, Hogan Lovells in London, from October 1st till 30th, 2019.<\/p>\n
October 2019 is definitely, a critical month for Britons as they face a watershed moment with BREXIT. And at the same time, Black History Month is a time to celebrate cultural diversity and recognise the important contribution of Africans and Caribbean descent in the UK.<\/p>\n
In line with showcasing the rich cultural diversity of the continent of Africa alongside that of the Caribbean descent in the UK, the exhibition showcases the works of 12 artists namely; Adelaide Damoah, Ayesha Feisal, Carleen de Sozer, Chibuike Uzoma, Enam Gbewonyo and Gabriel Choto.<\/p>\n
Others are Justina Kehinde, Kenny Adewuyi, Kelani Abass, Olumide Onadipe, Sanaa Gateja and Tyna Adebowale, with intertwined cultural roots spreading across Britain and Europe to Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, and Jamaica.<\/p>\n
This is a perfect timing as the exhibition is holding at a crucial period when racial tension is heightening by the day, across the globe. The artists are therefore, not just celebrating the power of their rich diversity, but at the same, fighting all forms of discrimination, and tackling socio-political issues, through their paintings, drawings, sculptures, tapestry, mixed media works, spoken word and performances.<\/p>\n
The exhibition co-curator and Founder of BBFA who doubles as one of the exhibiting artists, Enam Gbenwonyo stated that \u201cNo Room for Fear\u201d creates space for this commonality to be experienced in one space, to share one breath and to form one powerful statement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether we look to the United States where the Black Lives Matter movement is coming at a time when racial tension has peaked yet again, or we consider South Africa, where black on black hate crimes have increased, our artists\u2019 work is a powerful positive force calling for a more globally inclusive world,\u201d said Sandra Mbanefo Obiago, exhibition co-curator and Founder of SMO & Artistic Director of Contemporary Art.<\/p>\n
\u201cCelebrating African art and culture is a crucial part of our commitment to respect Africa, one of our four key pillars.\u201d, Andrew Skipper, Partner and Head of Africa Practice at Hogan Lovells and Advisory Board Member of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington DC, began saying.<\/p>\n