20/20: Reflections

Chelsea Space and the Decolonising Arts Institute at UAL collaborate once more on the second 20/20: Reflections, a summer programme offering the opportunity to hear directly from some of the second 20/20 cohort of artists about their residencies in national collections.

Following the success of our earlier collaborative series of talks with the first cohort of artists last summer, 20/20 Reflections will also feature the first exhibition of the 20/20 Print Portfolio. Alongside the full series of prints created by each of the 20 artists who have participated in the 20/20 project, the exhibition will also feature a series of artist films developed as part of the programme.

PROGRAMME

Cora Sehgal Cuthbert | Thursday 10 July, 6:30-8pm
In this talk, Cora will reflect on the film she created during her residency at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, paying particular attention to archives, oral histories, and the concept of categorisation. She will present excerpts from her work, raise questions around decolonising in everyday life, and explore the role of love and care in decolonial approaches. The talk will culminate in the co-creation of a mini exhibition within the gallery space.

Holly Graham | Thursday 17 July, 6:30-8 pm
Holly will lead a roundtable discussion exploring legacies of expansionism, colonialism and exploitative labour inherent to the material history of cotton, some of the themes underpinning her research and practice in the development of the work for the exhibition The Warp/The Weft/The Wake following her 20/20 residency at Manchester Art Gallery.

Zoë Zo, Zoë Tumika & Zoë Guthrie | Thursday 24 July, 6:30-8 pm

Zoë will present a cartography of thoughts and considerations that emerged during their residency at MIMA, in conversation with Adjoa Armah, anti-disciplinary artist, writer and educator.

Christopher Samuel | Thursday 31 July, 6:30-8 pm

Christopher will discuss themes of stigma, belonging and agency that underpin his 20/20 residency research into the experiences of disabled people of colour at Birmingham Museums Trust.

Events are free and open to all. However, booking is essential due to limited capacity. Tickets on sale soon.

Chelsea Space is fully accessible. Please email the team at publicprogramme@arts.ac.uk if you have questions about access.

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About 20/20

20/20 was an ambitious 3-year programme announced by the Decolonising Arts Institute (DeAI) in November 2021, generously supported by funding from Freelands Foundation, Arts Council England and UAL.

Led by artist susan pui san lok (Professor in Contemporary Art and DeAI Director), 20/20 developed as a response to urgent calls for action across the arts to address social inequalities and racial injustices.

Combining artist residencies with artistic commissioning at scale, 20/20 aimed to catalyse artists’ careers and change in collections. Following two open calls and a selection process involving all collection partners, 20 emerging and mid-career artists identifying as black, brown, Asian, global majority or people of colour, took up residencies with 20 public art collections between 2022 and 2024, leading to 20 new permanent acquisitions. All artists have now completed their residencies, and seen their work acquired and exhibited by their partner collections.

Following 20/20 Reflections, the end of the 20/20 project will be marked by a major collaborative public programme at UAL LCF East Bank in November 2025.

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Image credit: Hannah Sabapathy at Chelsea Space. Photographed by Angela Tozzi