The Socially Engaged Art Salon & the BPOC Photographers Collective exhibition for Photo Fringe & Black History Month.
Curated by Gil Mualem-Doron
Participants: Denis Njouwouo, Kevin Prince, Edi Jay Mandala, Matheus de Simone, Nick Ford, Pierre Monnerville.
The exhibition is supported by National Lottery Project Grants – Arts Council England.
“Many communities in modern Britain feel that these landscapes hold no relevance for them. The countryside is seen by both black, Asian and minority ethnic groups and white people as very much a ‘white’ environment. If that is true today, then the divide will only widen as society changes. Our countryside will become irrelevant to the country that actually exists.” DEFRA’S Landscape Review 2019.
“You do get people with old-fashioned values and set ideas about what a traditional walker is… But a lot of people are just happy to see you in the countryside. They enjoy it, so why would they not want you to enjoy it?” Rhiane Fatinikun, Founder of Black Girls Hike, The Guardian 2022.
The relationship between the English countryside and Black and People of Colour (BPOC) communities is evolving, particularly through the lens of photography. Historically, the English countryside has often been depicted as an overwhelmingly white, rural, and exclusive space. For many BPOC communities, the countryside may still feel inaccessible due to historical and cultural exclusion but also to other socio-economic factors, as depicted in various research. As such, they are deprived of the physical, mental and social benefits that walking, hiking and exploring the countryside have.
In the exhibition’s title, Outlook refers to an opinion about something and a view. Not just a view but a place from which a view is possible, a vantage point, or a place of privilege. The Countryside – or the ability to roam- is still such a place. 92% of England’s land is private, and open-access land accounts for only 8%. In addition, the lack of free time, low income, difficulties in accessing these spaces in public transport, and, at times, cultural preferences are still hindering BPOC communities from enjoying natural and rural areas. So are racist attitudes, feelings of being “out of place” that have been documented in recent surveys and the fear of xenophobic upheavals that are still spreading from time to time like wildfire.
The project acknowledges these obstacles, some of which we have lived experiences of, as we acknowledge the privilege we had in taking part in this project, which was inspired by groups such as Black Girls Hike and Flock Together. We also recognise that while we are all part of the BPOC community, our outlooks, as with our photography practices and ideas, might be very different due to unique lived experiences and perspectives.
Subsequently, what unites us in this project that marks the foundation of our new photography collective -is not so much our identities [grouped under problematic terms such as BAME, BME, VME-visibly minority ethnic people, global majority, BPOC, etc.) but more so – our belief that photography is a powerful tool to challenge dominant narratives and attitudes. This project serves to counter the ideas of who belongs in the English countryside and even to question Englishness.
In this project, we are trying to reclaim and reimagine these spaces and expand our notions of belonging. We believe in the power of socially engaged photographic practices to create more inclusive and diverse spaces, especially in the countryside.
Denis Njouwouo: The English countryside is a place to celebrate our love for this Island.
There is nothing like the English country side for its natural beauty, with rolling hills, ancient woodlands, and picturesque villages. Devil’s Dyke is one of the best beauty spot in Sussex offering stunning panoramas and magical breath taking landscapes in the south downs. There are epic hiking trails and woods to explore that give visitors a true sense of “wild”. I feel that the English countryside should be a place for anybody, regardless of their racial, sexual or any other identity, to connect to the land.
Denis Njouwouo is a tutor and a volunteer working with BPOC communities in Sussex. He started practising photography during the pandemic because photography allows him to express his creativity and explore various styles, techniques, and subjects. He is a trustee of the Black and Minorities Ethnic Partnership [BMECP] Centre, Brighton.
Kevin Prince: The English Countryside is solved by walking
*after Saint Augustine phrase ” Solvitur ambulando”
The inverted shots of my hiking boots reflect how my travels and life experiences have cultivated a unique perspective within me. The connection between tea and coffee the collective had before the start of the hike in Devil’s Dyke, and the conversation we had about the British colonial past reminded me Sri Lanka’s where my ancestors are from. Remembering the country’s colonial history while drinking tea at Devil’s Dyke pub transcended the physical – the here and now – and brought about the psychosocial and the spiritual aspects, even the healing trait of the communal journey we took.
Kevin Prince is a cis-gay-Christian-man born and raised in the Middle East, of South Asian (Sri-Lankan) descent. He lived in Toronto for 5 years where he completed a mental health degree, and then moved to the UK for his Masters (MSc). He now works in the NHS in a mental health service and covers East Sussex A&E’s.
Kevin has always felt connected to his creative, artistic side. For his MSc thesis, he conducted an autoethnographic study (as researcher & participant) on the emotional benefits of doodling.
He values human connection, both engaging in and understanding it, and draws inspiration from how people connect with nature and each other, enhancing overall well-being.
Edi Jay Mandala [The Artivist] : The English Countryside is my canvas for cleansing bigotry.
I really enjoy the countryside of the Home Counties because of the variety of green colours, the soft rolling hills and the jagged tors formed by water, the brisk air and ‘the lights’ of the skies at dawn and dusk, so I particularly enjoy paddle boarding in as many different locations as I possibly can. However, as a second-generation Windrush descendent he countryside is also a canvas to assert my identity and proclaim my stake in this nation. My interventions are acts of decolonisation and de-toxifying the countryside from racism and bigotry. Paddling, a hobby I took a few years is a way of discharging the ‘toxic fire of intergenerational racism’ back into the water that ameliorates me, so every trip is like a rebirth, a new chance for hope.
The river photos are by Sheila Auguste and the South Downs photos are by Gil Mualem-Doron.
Edi Jay Mandala is a black multimedia artist based in Brighton who specializes in mosaic art and text and collage. He has developed his practice whilst working for over 25 years in mental health, family services and community safety as a qualified Art Therapist.
He has been living in Brighton for more than twenty-five years. Edi has dedicated the past five years to creating BLAQ MUSE, an anti-racist project that addresses questions arising from the hostile environments experienced by systemic racism. He has exhibited with SEAS several times and took part in the BPOC artists’ well-being project at the end of the Covid19 pandemic.
You can see more of Edi’s work here.
Matheus de Simone: The English Countryside is Queer
As a BIPOC and gay person himself, with the “Countryside” series the artist proposes a horizon made of landscape portraits from users on Grindr app located in the rural Sussex county. The artist also asks them how it feels to be a queer and non-white person living in the countryside. The work is in progress and the final results will be exhibited as a wall installation.
Matheus de Simone is a visual artist from Brazil. He works as a PhD visiting researcher at the University of Brighton, studying nudist cultures between the Global North and the Global South.
Nick Ford: The English Countryside is steeped in a shared history.
Wandering through the Devil’s Dyke with new friends, it was great to share experiences on a hike in the South Downs, enjoying a creative journey. Exploring the local countryside really helped me connect with my British heritage, helping me visualise the scenery my Great Grandparents would have also enjoyed. Brighton, being highly transient, means that most people from all walks of life choose to move here. I have chosen to stay here.
Nick Ford says; ‘I’ve been taking photos for as long as I can remember, alongside my Dad when I was very young assisting him with weddings. I’ve exhibited at our studio over the past decade and recently in Churchill Square. I have a photographic business based on Oxford St where we recently celebrated 10 years at the studio. Being local, we’ve always enjoyed walking in the South Downs and surrounding areas. It’s been great to explore my English heritage on this hike.’
You can see more of Nick’s work here.
Pierre Monnerville – The English countryside is very different from what I’m used to
The English countryside, with its rolling hills and picturesque landscapes, presents a complex tapestry of experiences for Black individuals. While it offers a serene escape and opportunities for exploration, it also reflects broader societal disparities. The countryside’s allure is juxtaposed with the reality of land ownership patterns, which mirror urban housing trends. Recent data indicates that Black households in England have considerably lower rates of home ownership compared to other ethnic groups. This disparity in property ownership extends to rural areas, potentially influencing the sense of belonging and connection to these spaces. Despite these challenges, many Black individuals and families are forging their own meaningful relationships with the countryside, contributing to its evolving narrative and cultural richness.
Pierre Monnerville (he/him) is a designer and photographer exploring how urban living, loneliness, identity, body image and mental health in general affect men. He also founded Unapologaytic, an ethical gay brand promoting self acceptance for GBTQ men. Pierre was born in Paris but grew up between Martinique and Paris. Always wanting to live abroad he moved to Berlin and London but settled in Brighton.
Gil Mualem-Doron: “The English Countryside is too green and badly lit”
*In a paraphrase of a saying by the French Rococo painter Francios Boucher about nature.
The project “Outlooks on the English Countryside” was born out of my mixed feelings toward that space: feelings of displacement, estrangement, and, at the same time, cosiness and attraction. The project was also rooted in recent studies by the DEFRA, the National Trust and Wildlife, and the Countryside Link into the issues of race and the countryside.
The core of the project was to gather photographers and amateur photographers who have previously worked with The Socially Engaged Art Salon to form the BPOC Photography Collective and to produce a collaborative project through a day trip at the South Downs, Sussex, conversations and photography.
The series of digital collages I created, named “British Landscapes,” with the collective, reflects my feelings of unhomeliness in the English Countryside and my longing for the Mediterranean landscape in which I grew up. The collages depict each one of us standing in the South Downs and reflecting faraway places from our or our ancestors’ homelands.
Gil Mualem-Doron [PhD] is a socially engaged, transdisciplinary artist, curator and the founder and creative director of the Socially Engaged Art Salon [SEAS CIC]. His work investigates issues such as of urban histories, social and racial justice, migratory identities and spaces and transcultural aesthetics. While much of his work is collaborative, it is also rooted in his lived experience of intersectionality being an Arab-Jew, queer migrant.
His work has been exhibited extensively in the UK in places such as Tate Modern, the Turner Contemporary, the South Bank Centre, The People’s History Museum, Worthing Museum, Rich Mix and P21 Gallery, as well as in galleries and museums in the Israel-Palestine, South Africa, Brazil, Norway, Germany and Spain. He has been commissioned to create works by such as The Mayor of London, Counterpoints Arts, the Arts Depot, the Jewish Museum, Sussex Wildlife Trust and Ben & Jerry’s.
Tuesday 8 – Saturday 19 October // 10.00 – 17.00 (Closed Monday 14 October)