''Into the Open'', subtitled "New Paintings, Prints and Sculptures by Contemporary Black Artists", was an exhibition of art by black artists displayed at various venues in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

in 1984. This exhibition was the first major survey by a municipal gallery of contemporary work by black artists in Britain, and is considered one of the landmark exhibitions of the 1980s. It was curated, at the invitation of Sheffield City Arts Department, by two people closely involved with black artists in Britain:

Pogus Caesar Dr Pogus Caesar (born 1953) is a British photographer, conceptual artist, archivist, author, curator, television producer and director. He was born in St Kitts, West Indies, and grew up in Birmingham, England. Early life Dr Pogus Caesar was bo ...

and Lubaina Himid. Their stated aim was to give an indication of the range and richness of art made by contemporary

Afro Caribbean Afro-Caribbean people or African Caribbean are Caribbean people who trace their full or partial ancestry to Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of the modern African-Caribbeans descend from Africans taken as slaves to colonial Caribbean via the tr ...

artists. The ''Into the Open'' exhibition toured in the United Kingdom in 1984, appearing at three venues: the Mappin Art Gallery in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

(4 August–9 September 1984), the Castle Museum in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

(16 September–21 October 1984), and the Newcastle Media Workshops in

Newcastle-upon-Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is als ...

(2–24 November 1984).Chambers (2014), note 20, pp. 255–56. It was organized by the Sheffield Arts Department and was subsidised by the

Arts Council of Great Britain The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. It was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England (now Arts Council England), the Scottish Arts Council (l ...

Artists in the exhibition

* Clement Bedeau * Sylbert Bolton *

Sonia Boyce Sonia Dawn Boyce, (born 1962) is a British Afro-Caribbean artist and educator, living and working in London. She is a Professor of Black Art and Design at University of the Arts London. Boyce's research interests explore art as a social practic ...

* Eddie A. Chambers * Shakka Dedi *

Uzo Egonu Uzo Egonu (25 December 1931 – 14 August 1996) was a Nigerian-born artist who settled in Britain in the 1940s,

* Lubaina Himid * Gavin Jantjes *

Claudette Johnson Claudette Elaine Johnson (born 1959) is a British visual artist. She is known for her large-scale drawings of Black women and involvement with the BLK Art Group. She was described by Modern Art Oxford as "one of the most accomplished figurativ ...

Tom Joseph Tom Joseph (1 January 1980 in Kozhikode) is an Indian volleyball player who played for India in many international competitions. He got the Arjuna Award in 2014 for his great performance in volleyball throughout the year. Early life He was bo ...

* Juginder Lamba * Bill Ming * Ossie Murray *

Houria Niati Houria Niati (born 1948) is an Algerian contemporary artist living in London. Niati specializes in mixed media installations that criticize Western representations and objectification of north African and Middle Eastern women. Her installations ...

* Benjamin Nhlanhla Nsusha * Pitika P. Ntuli * Keith Piper *

Richie Riley Richie Riley is an American college basketball coach and current head coach at the University of South Alabama Jaguars men's basketball, South Alabama. Playing career Riley played one collegiate season at Eastern Kentucky Colonels basketball, Ea ...

Veronica Ryan Veronica Maudlyn Ryan (born 1956 in Plymouth, Montserrat) is a Montserrat-born British sculptor. She moved to London with her parents when she was an infant and now lives between New York and Bristol. In December 2022, Ryan won the Turner Prize ...

* Jorge Santos

References

External links

See examples of work by Uzo Egonu plus text of a lecture on his life
Art exhibitions in the United Kingdom 1984 in the United Kingdom 1984 in art Black British culture {{art-hist-stub