''The Essential Black Art'' was an

art exhibition An art exhibition is traditionally the space in which art objects (in the most general sense) meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is rarely true, it is stated to be a "permanent exhi ...

held at the Chisenhale Gallery in 1988, curated by

Rasheed Araeen Rasheed Araeen ( ur, رشید آرائیں; born 1935) is a Karachi born, London-based conceptual artist, sculptor, painter, writer, and curator. He graduated in civil engineering from the NED University of Engineering and Technology in 1962, an ...

. The exhibition contained the work of nine artists: Araeen,

Zarina Bhimji Zarina Bhimji (born 1963) is a Ugandan Indian photographer, based in London. She was nominated for the Turner Prize in 2007, exhibited at Documenta 11 in 2002, and is represented in the public collections of Tate, the Museum of Contemporary Art i ...

, Sutapa Biswas,

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 pract ...

Eddie Chambers Edward Chambers (born March 29, 1982) is an American former professional boxer. He challenged once for a unified world heavyweight title in 2010. He was ranked as the fourth best heavyweight in the world by '' The Ring'' at the conclusion of 20 ...

Alan de Souza Alan may refer to: People *Alan (surname), an English and Turkish surname *Alan (given name), an English given name **List of people with given name Alan ''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.'' * A ...

Mona Hatoum Mona Hatoum ( ar, منى حاطوم; born 1952) is a British-Palestinian multimedia and installation artist who lives in London. Biography Mona Hatoum was born in 1952 in Beirut, Lebanon, to Palestinian parents. Although born in Lebanon, Hatoum ...

Gavin Jantjes Gavin Jantjes (born 1948 in District Six, Cape Town) is a South African painter, curator, writer and lecturer. Life Jantjes attended the Michaelis School of Fine Art at the University of Cape Town from 1966 to 1969. He left apartheid South Africa ...

and Keith Piper. It provided a foretaste of Araeem's larger exhibition of the following year, '' The Other Story''. The exhibition catalogue contained several essays, including a paper which Araeen had given to the 1982 First National Black Art Convention. Araeen argued against identifying 'Black Art' as "whatever is produced by black artists", or seeing it as exemplifying "Asian/African traditions". Rather, Black Art was a "specific

contemporary art Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic co ...

practice that has emerged directly from the struggle of Asian, African and the Caribbean people (i.e. black people) against

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonis ...

".Chisenhale Gallery, ''The Essential Black Art''. London: Chisenhale Gallery, 1982.

References

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External links

Essential Black Art – Chisenhale Gallery
1988 in art Art exhibitions in London Black British culture in London Black British history