- This event has passed.
living in fear of quicksand by Maria Amidu, 3 March – 21 May 2023, Nunnery Gallery and Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives.
March 3, 2023 @ 10:00 am - March 21, 2023 @ 4:00 pm
Free
living in fear of quicksand is a solo exhibition by Maria Amidu comprising new artworks and archival material and unfolds across two locations in Bow – Nunnery Gallery and Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives. living in fear of quicksand is the artist’s first solo exhibition and the works featured amplify Maria Amidu’s practice as a writer and visual artist.
The title of the exhibition, alluding to an ever-present sense of danger and subtly contextualizing the artworks within the 1970s, examines the fragmentary nature of memory in relation to a fragile experience of home.
A limited edition print work – 25 years in the making and the genesis of living in fear of quicksand, a film piece, a sound work, a text-based installation and a bespoke paint colour are being exhibited for the first time. The print work – a memoir of sorts – traces the artist’s early childhood living in Sleaford House on the Lincoln Estate (within walking distance of the gallery); growing up in state care in Bexhill-on-Sea; and consequential experiences in her adult life.
The exhibition continues a short bus ride away at the Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives. Here the focus is placed on the architectural and social history of the Lincoln Estate and the artist’s brief place within it.
From among the extensive collections held at the Archives the artist has unearthed council correspondence, plans, drawings and newspaper cuttings about the Estate – material that has played an integral role in the development of the resulting artworks. A selection of these historic records is on show alongside some items from the artist’s personal archive and accompanied by a timeline documenting the development of the Estate.
living in fear of quicksand first began to emerge in 2005 after Maria Amidu devised a project for looked after children with the Foundling Museum.
living in fear of quicksand has been conceived by the artist in collaboration with independent curator Gemma Lloyd. Maria Amidu worked closely with Dubmorphology (Trevor Mathison and Gary Stewart) on 1973, and the new paint colour was mixed in partnership with Dulux.
The development of the artist’s new work and the exhibition is supported by Arts Council England and supporters who wish to remain anonymous.
For interview requests, images and further information, please contact Gemma Lloyd, Curator and Project Manager: gemma.lloyd57@gmail.com
VENUE DETAILS
Nunnery Gallery, 181 Bow Rd, Bow, London E3 2SJ. Open: Tuesday to Sunday 10:00am – 4:00pm. Free admission. T: 020 8980 7774. E: nunnery@bowarts.com W: https://bowarts.org/nunnery Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives, 277 Bancroft Road, London, E1 4DQ. Open: Monday to Friday 10.00am – 5.00pm, Thursday until 7.00pm, and 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month, 10.00am – 5.00pm. Free admission. T: 020 7364 1290. E: localhistory@towerhamlets.gov.uk. W: https://www.ideastore.co.uk/local-history
EVENTS
A programme of public talks and events will accompany living in fear of quicksand and will be announced in February 2023.
ABOUT MARIA AMIDU
Maria Amidu studied glass and ceramics at West Surrey College of Art and Design and the Royal College of Art, and she is currently undertaking doctoral research in the School of Arts & Humanities at the Royal College of Art. The title of her project is Making that remembers: a correspondence between emotion and material.
Maria’s artistic concerns are influenced by the complexities of the relational – between people, and between people and place. Through writing, printmaking, artist’s books, audio visual works and sometimes glassmaking she tries to substantiate what might be going on in collective situations, paying specific attention to what is hidden, obscured or unspoken. She has developed projects with museums, galleries and other cultural organisations including: Watermarks (2021), Metal Culture; “Where are we?” (2020) Mid-Sussex, District Council; edge/threshold/brink (2018), Nuit Blanche Toronto; Act, Campaign, Petition, Reform, Lobby, Argue and Soit droit fait come est desire (Let it be done as it is desired) (2015); Houses of Parliament; Workforce (a work in progress) (2014), National Maritime Museum; a moment of your time (2013), People United in association with Turner Contemporary; Betty, Pat, Diane, Ivy, Lynette, Bonney (2011), Parramatta Artists’ Studios; Dolphin Loves Disco (and other favourite words) (2012), PEER; 21st Century Reporter (2005), Foundling Museum; Tribute (2002), Arnolfini and Bristol Royal Children’s Hospital; Finders, Keepers (2001), Horniman Museum & Gardens; and …a moment caught in three dimension(s) (1999), 198 Contemporary Arts & Learning. Her work is in several public and private collections including the Parliamentary Archives (UK), V&A, Arnolfini Collection Trust, and Limerick National Drawing Collection. www.mariaamidu.co.uk
ABOUT THE NUNNERY GALLERY, BOW ARTS
Housed in a former 19th-century convent building, surrounded by artist studios, the Nunnery Gallery is Bow Arts’ not-for-profit art space. The programme pushes boundaries with an original and creative approach that explores the stories of east London and celebrates today’s artistic talent. Bow Arts creates inspirational, supportive environments where artists and communities interact, learn and flourish. Since 1994, Bow Arts has nurtured London’s diverse creativity and talent, providing artists and creative practitioners with affordable workspace, connecting them with local communities and supporting their professional development. The charity gives communities throughout London greater access to and interaction with the arts, through a schools programme, workshops, exhibitions and events. https://bowarts.org/nunnery
ABOUT TOWER HAMLETS LOCAL HISTORY LIBRARY & ARCHIVES
Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives is part of Tower Hamlets Council, and is the home of outstanding and unique resources documenting the history of London’s world famous East End. Through an extraordinary range of original archives, images, maps, audio-visual material, pamphlets and paintings, the changing local landscapes and lived experiences of individuals and communities in Tower Hamlets are preserved.
The Grade II listed library building dates from 1860 and is located in Mile End. The extensive local history library covers a vast range of popular subjects such as migration and communities, local industries and political movements; and includes thousands of photographs and press cuttings as well as rare publications. The exhibition hall hosts themed displays of materials from the collections as well as creative interventions by artists inspired by them. https://www.ideastore.co.uk/local- history
