The Red Series - Sade English

Sade English is a multidisciplinary artist who is also the founder, curator, and creative director of ANTICLONE Gallery. Sade’s work as both creator and curator is highly responsive to change – across digital and physical spaces, change offers a versatile model for experimentation, community, and social engagement. Her latest exhibit ‘The Red Series’ features new paintings which act as a revelation into the social-political potential of abstraction. These pieces explore the colour red as symbolic of healing, strength, and acceptance, inspired by Sade’s Andean ancestry. Her work explores the diverse tonalities of colour; for example, black acts as a grounding force in their painting, serving as a means to delve into its universality, while also examining cultural and historical preconceptions surrounding ‘blackness’.

Sade’s prior work has re-examined the forms of cultural and artistic production/ distribution. Considering the transformation of form and materiality on a digital platform, Sade endeavours to question the traditional ways of curating art, expanding the possibilities of representation and storytelling. Their work with ANTICLONE seeks to platform and celebrate non-conformity, driven by the desire to innovate and create new networks of access for radical artists who have come together to build a community. It is central to Sade’s practice as a curator to dismantle the traditional means of showcasing art; by undoing ‘established’ and ‘up-and-coming’ titles, Sade’s work makes space for new creatives who may otherwise be marginalised from the institutionalised elitism of the art world. This new order acts as a bridge between the artists of today and tomorrow. Plural in form and thinking, Sade’s creative output takes on the energy of the times and champions the essence of diversity.

“The Arts industry wants to showcase diversity. Globally we see this is apparent and a change has come, but the balance of non-conventional vs conventional is still far from equal. Alongside class, gender and race, I feel that the Arts industry is built upon legacies of individuals that lead the culture; for this reason, it will always recognise Artists from conventional backgrounds over an independent artist. Welcoming Artists from all different frames of life is essential to nurture raw talent, conversation and expression to be shared”, interview with Purple Haze Magazine.