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Portraits In a Chinese Studio by Grace Lau is based on her research into studio portraits made by 19th-century and early 20th-century Western photographers in China. Lau realised that Chinese subjects were placed in a Victorian studio setting as ‘exotic subjects’ and ‘unusual beings’. Lau’s project highlights this relationship and reverses the roles for 21st-century participants.

Lau’s photographic studio will be made of ‘mock’ traditional Chinese furniture, with a decorative backdrop and accessories including a soft-toy panda rug. Participants will be asked to pose in a similar formal manner to the Victorian studio portraits. However, in contrast to their historical setting, those having their portraits taken will be encouraged to keep their contemporary accessories, such as mobile phones, shopping bags, and clothing. A free portrait will be emailed to each participant.

Grace Lau comments:
Through this project, I am making a comment on Imperialist visions of the ‘exotic’ Chinese. I want participants to think about how different people have been represented in portraits over time, and today – placing people in this constructed historic setting and taking their portrait is a great way to start that conversation.

Digital copies of all the photographs will be donated to Southampton City Archives with the aspiration of creating a social record of communities in 2023. After Southampton, the project will tour to other cities across England.

Following the project’s run at the Marlands Centre during February, a selection of portraits taken will then be on display at John Hansard Gallery during September and October 2023. The project will also tour to the Centre for British Photography, London from 5 October – 17 December 2023.

Beginning in February 2023 during Black History Month in the Caribbean and USA, Kingston Creative, Jamaica is partnering with UK organisations John Hansard Gallery, Black History Month South, and Southampton Black Archives to celebrate and commemorate the Windrush generation and give voice to the subsequent Windrush scandal.

Windrush Portraits is the first stage of a transatlantic artistic collaboration with communities in both Kingston, Jamaica and Southampton, UK. During 2023, artists Mary Evans (based in UK) and Michael Elliott (based in Jamaica) will present iconic artworks that highlight the legacy of the Windrush generation and migration.

The artists will undertake exchange visits to Southampton and Kingston to meet both Caribbean communities in Southampton and Windrush returnees in Kingston. These visits will result in new artworks, created in collaboration with communities, that will be presented on city centre shop units and bus stops in Southampton, and on the front of John Hansard Gallery during October, Black History Month in the UK.

For this project, Michael Elliott’s and Mary Evans’ artworks will explore the personal, political, social and post-colonial legacy of the Empire Windrush and the Windrush Generation of West Indian migrants (as well as their descendants) who arrived in the UK from 1948–1971. Under the UK government’s ‘hostile environment’ policy from 2009, some members of the Windrush Generation and their families were wrongfully persecuted and deported from the UK and returned to Jamaica. These returnees often lost their homes, livelihoods, and health because of the UK government’s actions, that has become known as the Windrush scandal.

Windrush Portraits will be developed through conversations with Caribbean communities in Kingston, Jamaica and Southampton, UK to celebrate the individuals, highlight the injustices, and commemorate the important contribution of the Windrush Generation to the UK’s recovery in the post-war period.

During 2023, Mary Evans delivered creative workshops with members of the Windrush generation in Southampton and their family and friends. During these sessions, Evans took side-profile photographs of the participants which she turned into silhouettes, recalling the British tradition of silhouette portraits. These silhouettes can now be seen in a new work on the front of John Hansard Gallery. Meanwhile, a new piece by Michael Elliott, The Calling, continues his socio-political series on Windrush and can be found on shop units across Southampton.

Join us and watch as they fester in alleys and spawn a series of short films. The project projects these onto surfaces in the city, car parks are our canvas and every wall a new opportunity to exhibit.

Curated and hosted by Oozing Gloop, in partnership with Videoclub, follow the mobile cinema as it moves around the city. The trail features our favourite drag critters, Lasana Shabazz, Frogb0i, Shrek666, Bonnie Bakeneko and WET MESS.

The trail will cover approximately 2km and will end near John Hansard Gallery. The pace is leisurely and easy.

Oozing Gloop is the world’s premier green, autistic drag queen. Troublesome, camp and revolting, her interdisciplinary practice born out of a life of cabaret creates a queer spectacle exploring Awe: the awful, the awesome, and the autistic.

videoclub is an artists’ moving image and digital culture agency, showing artists’ work across the UK and internationally. They support artists through curated programmes, engaging the public through screenings, exhibitions, residencies, and commissions.

They work in collaboration to develop inventive, stimulating events and opportunities to show artists’ work. From small collectives to large institutions, they exhibit work in cinemas, festivals, museums, galleries, outdoors and online, presenting diverse work by early career to established artists.

Commissioned by John Hansard Gallery as part of Co-Creating Public Space, with support by Arts Council England, Southampton City Council, GO! Southampton, University of Southampton and Southampton Pride. Produced by Artsadmin.

A Midnight Swamp Gala
John Hansard Gallery, 10.30pm – midnight
An elegant evening awaits us after the film trail in the lobby of John Hansard Gallery where we can live, laugh and lounge around. Complementary reading material will be made available to peruse, whilst films of an artistic nature play. Who knows? There may even be a performance or two! This event is free and open to the public, but you must be over 18+. Book your place by emailing: jack@jhg.art