In his final book of essays, Nothing Personal (1964), the American novelist and social critic wrote: "One discovers the light in darkness, that is what darkness is for; but everything in our lives depends on how we bear the light. It is necessary, while in darkness, to know that there is a light somewhere, to know that in oneself, waiting to be found, there is a light."
Baldwin’s words form a central motif for the exhibition. A mesmerising blue-and-yellow neon light display alternates melodically between showing the quote and the words “One Light”. As the words move, they highlight the light and darkness within ourselves, and the way we can often move between hope and despair.
The opening room features large installations, hung on the walls. These collages have many juxtaposed layers of meaning which nudge and cajole the viewer to examine their own hidden biases and prejudices. Many refer to legacies and stories that have not had their moment of glory in the spotlight – that have not been afforded their own share of history.
Double Consciousness (2023) is a multimedia work in enamel, oil, acrylic, limestone, pigment and neon, inspired by the work of the scholar and American civil rights activist W.E.B Du Bois.
Du Bois coined the term “double consciousness” to describe the “peculiar sensation” that African Americans face while simultaneously living within and outside a racist society. It’s a feeling of being examined while also deemed ineligible to partake fully in society – always on the fringes, yet central to the ways racial hierarchies are embedded and acted out. This collage also focuses on the computer scientist Annie Easley, who made significant contributions to Nasa’s energy technologies but encountered racism and sexism throughout her career.
The Ruin of a Giant, made this year, is a large oxidised bronze sculpture depicting the American social rights activist Harriet Tubman. It dominates much of the opening room, questioning what an ancient relic is “supposed” to look like, who gets to be commemorated through history, and how we understand history itself.
Elsewhere in the exhibition, one of the central installations is the monumental piece The Encyclopedia of Invisibility (2018). It’s a sculpture of an encyclopaedia which contains around 2,550 pages with 17,000 entries. The encyclopaedia is encased in glass, but the surrounding walls are plastered with some of the entries. This installation questions the western parameters of knowledge – who gets to decide what is important to include in the storehouses of that knowledge, and who gets overlooked in the process.
Exploration is another significant theme in Strachan’s work. The exhibition explains that he is interested in “leaving the island he grew up in [(New Providence)], both physically and metaphorically”, pushing the boundaries of where he belongs.
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For the full article by Dr Pragya Agarwal visit The Conversation.