“How do you get off the island?”
In an explorative video study the Hayward Gallery team follows the elusive Tavares Strachan to his home island in the Bahamas
The mini-documentary traverses the island and its waters - exploring themes of isolation, community and expression
Coming soon…
📍 Tavares Strachan: There Is Light Somewhere
🗓️ Open now until 1 Sep
🎟️ Book your ticket online with no booking fee via link in bio
Blog: 5 things to know about Tavares Strachan
Number #3 : Strachan is the first person from the Bahamas to reach the North Pole. Inspired by Matthew Henson, an African American explorer who was part of the first successful mission to the North Pole, Strachan has undertaken a number of his own trips to the Arctic.
In 2013, he reached the North Pole himself, and planted a personalised flag in the blue, black and gold of the Bahamas. Other physically demanding challenges undertaken by the artist include deep sea diving and training as an astronaut.
From the latter Strachan founded the scientific research platform BASEC (Bahamas Aerospace and Sea Exploration Center) as a means of bringing science and technology to young people in a community where access to these fields is comparatively limited.
📖 Read full blog - link in bio
Image Credit: Who Deserves Aquamarine, Black, and Gold, (FLAG), 2005-06 Flag: cotton, linen. Lightbox, print. 27 x 3 by Tavares Strachan, Courtesy the artist
On this day in 1969, the Stonewall uprisings began 📅✊ The five days of rioting took place after the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York's Greenwich Village, was raided by police. The NYPD expected routine compliance, but instead patrons and a growing crowd decided to fight back.
This ceramic piece by Tavares Strachan titled ‘Game and Board (Marsha P. Johnson)’ portrays the gay rights activist and self-proclaimed drag queen who was on the frontlines of the uprising.
Marsha P. Johnson continued to be a spokesperson for gay and transgender people, homeless LGBTQIA+ youth, and those affected by H.I.V. and AIDS throughout her life. She is known to have done all of this in heels, fabulous outfits and flower headpieces 🏳️🌈
📍 Tavares Strachan: There Is Light Somewhere
🗓️ Open now until 1 Sep
🎟️ Book your ticket online with no booking fee via link in bio
#Pride#MarshaPJohnson#Stonewall
Which artwork resonated the most with you? Let us know your picks in the comments 💬
We hear from poet and playwright @inuaellams on the kinship he felt with one of the pieces that told the story of his father’s ancestral home, Benin City. And that just happened to be the one that was behind him!
📖 There are so many hidden stories to discover within Tavares Strachan: There Is Light Somewhere. Pre-book your ticket now via the link in bio.
#ArtExhibition#ArtStorytime#LondonGallery
Hayward Terrace appreciation post 🌊☀️ You need to see Tavares Strachan’s Black Star to believe it…
Catch the exhibition that @theartnewspaper.official called “an orchestra for the senses”
🎟️ Book a ticket without a booking fee by clicking the link in our bio
#ArtExhibition#LondonGallery#OutdoorArt
Which figure stood out to you? Tell us in the comments ⬇️
Our current exhibition on artist Tavares Strachan, highlights overlooked but important figures throughout history. Here is some of writer and curator @ekoweshun ’s top picks ✨
Join Ekow, alongside owner of @ablackhistoryofart , Alayo Akinkugbe and curator Habda Rashid as they explore how the exhibitions shares lost stories. Taking place on Thursday this week.
📍Hayward Gallery
🗓️ Thu 27 Jun, 7.30pm
🎟️ Ticket link in bio
Wait til the end for a very special moment ⛈️ Take a sneak peek into our new exhibition Tavares Strachan: There Is Light Somewhere…
⭑⭑⭑⭑ ‘art that sizzles with life’ - @guardian
From neon signs to large-scale collages and so many more surprises along the way, this survey of Tavares’ work will take you on a journey of discovery and recovery. Find some familiar faces and some that will have you Googling more for the rest of the day 🔍
📍 Tavares Strachan: There Is Light Somewhere
🗓️ Open now until 1 Sep
🎟️ Book your ticket online with no booking fee via link in bio
#ArtGallery#WhatsOnInLondon#LondonExhibition
Today is Juneteenth National Independence Day, a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. We’re shining a light on a work that depicts one of the pillars of the abolitionist movement - Ruin of a Giant (Harriet Tubman) ✨
This bronze sculpture is of the American abolitionist and social activist Harriet Tubman (1822–1913). Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and worked tirelessly as a ‘conductor’ on the Underground Railroad, the network of secret routes and safe houses for enslaved people fleeing captivity.
Harriet has been sculpted to resemble a time-worn relic from an ancient civilisation – the kind of monument that traditionally would have commemorated a powerful ruler or deity.
Artist Tavares Strachan, shares how his work is ‘looking to create a living history blurring the boundaries of sculpture with storytelling, the past and the future.’ 💬
📍 Tavares Strachan: There Is Light Somewhere
🗓️ Open now until 1 Sep
🎟️ Book your ticket online with no booking fee via link in bio
#Juneteenth#HarrietTubman#LondonArtGallery
How did we install a floating ship on the Hayward Gallery terrace? 🚢 🌊 With a giant crane, of course…
Tavares Strachan: There Is Light Somewhere OPENS TODAY! Unsung trailblazers and lost cultural connections are vividly commemorated in artworks just like this one, that reveal hidden stories whilst also illuminating histories of bias…
On the Hayward’s flooded terrace sits a large-scale sculpture of the S.S. Yarmouth, the flagship of the Black Star Line, its bow pointing in the direction of Africa. The Black Star Line was a shipping company owned and operated by Black people founded in 1919 by Jamaican social activist Marcus Garvey. Although it has become a potent symbol of Pan-Africanism, none of the Black Star Line’s ships ever reached Africa during the company’s short-lived existence.
➡️ Witness it for yourself now - book online with no fee via the link in bio
#Installation#ArtGallery#LondonExhibition
FIRST LOOK 👀 Tavares Strachan: There Is Light Somewhere opens tomorrow
⭑⭑⭑⭑ @timeoutlondon
⭑⭑⭑⭑ @evening.standard
The exhibition is all about the remarkably inventive ways in which Tavares has celebrated unsung explorers and cultural trailblazers. His vividly realised stories of erasure and remembrance shine a light not only on histories of colonialism and racism, but also on the universal desire for a sense of belonging.
➡️ Featuring monumental new sculptural commissions alongside striking large-scale collages, neon works, bronze and ceramic sculptures, and mixed-media installations.
🎟️ Book online now with NO BOOKING FEE!
To coincide with the “Tavares Strachan: There Is Light Somewhere” exhibition at the Hayward Gallery in London, Dover Street Market will exclusively launch Strachan’s brand B.A.S.E.C. in-store with a series of special displays.
B.A.S.E.C. stands for The Bahamas Aerospace and Sea Exploration Center, referencing Strachan’s background as an astronaut and fascination with human exploration.
The collection launches Monday 17th June at Dover Street Market and on the DSML E-SHOP. Also available in the Hayward Gallery Shop.
The exhibition Tavares Strachan: There Is Light Somewhere opens at the Hayward Gallery on Tuesday 18th June.
Visit the Dover Street Market website for more information.
@doverstreetmarketlondon
@hayward.gallery
@b.a.s.e.c
@tavaresstrachan
