Cultural Revolutions

Get ready to party! Throughout the tenure of its ground-breaking exhibition ‘No Colour Bar: Black British Art in Action 1960-1990’ , one of the most comprehensive surveys of Black British cultural heritage and social history in recent years, the Guildhall Art Gallery is playing host to a series of scheduled accompanying events.

At 6pm on Friday 25th September the gallery opens its doors for an exhilarating celebration of the best of Black music, art and culture from the ‘70s and ‘80s, with Cultural Revolutions. A tour of the times, the evening will feature a sparkling selection of readings, live music and performances from some of the UK’s foremost Black writers and there will also be screenings of short films by artists whose work is being displayed in the exhibition.

Guests will be able to enjoy a specially created ‘Cultural Revolutions’ cocktail at the gallery’s pop up bar and are encouraged to dress in the fashions of the period – think flares, funky glasses and stack heels. There will be a vintage costumery available for those who need an extra touch of retro glamour!

Highlights of the evening include:

Music

• Nikki Cislyn with Positive Vybz: Singer, songwriter and vocalist with Clean Bandit, Nikki wrote one of the biggest hits of 2014, ‘Rather Be’, for which she received the Ivor Novello Award and two Grammys. As well as performing her own songs, Nikki will be singing a selection of covers from the ‘70s and ‘80s.

• DJ Hughie, from Colourful Radio will provide the sounds of the period throughout the evening – so bring your dancing shoes!

Discussions

• Music of the ‘70s and ‘80s: Lloyd Bradley, author of ‘Sounds Like London’ reads from his book and discusses the Black music of the period.

Performances

• Another Crossing: Through music and poetry, Khadijah Ibrahiim tells the stories of growing up black in Britain - of her life, family and the communities of Chapeltown and Harehills, marking Leeds as a place of cultural fusion. Her performance captures the rhythms of a time gone, but also celebrates an ongoing evolution of identities.

• ‘Closure’ is the first book (of fiction) in 15 years to feature new and established Black British talent, and is edited by Jacob Ross. The evening will include the first live reading from this book which includes contributions by major award-winning names, such as Monica Ali, Tariq Mehmood, Leone Ross, Fred D’Agular and Bernardine Evaristo. Writers Sai Murray, Akila Richards, Gaylene Gould, Jacqueline Crooks, Michelle Inniss, Hana Riaz, Desiree Reynolds and Judith Bryan will be reading from the book at the event.