Eden Court's Black Lives Matter exhibition will be part of Scotland-wide mural trail
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EDEN Court is included on the Black Lives Matter Mural Trail which will connect a dozen arts venues and other sites across Scotland.
The idea for the trail followed the response to the recent international outpouring of support for Black Lives Matter, following the killing of George Floyd in America.
Scotland’s BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) artists are stepping up, supported by leading arts organisations with Inverness, Edinburgh and Glasgow already confirmed as locations for the trail.
The trail is the brainchild of Edinburgh-based creative producer Wezi Mhura, a specialist in large-scale events who pulled the idea together in just over a week, with the support of venues and arts organisations including Edinburgh International Festival, Eden Court Theatre, and many more.
One of the first to go up will be at The Hub Edinburgh, which features art based on an original photograph by British-born Nigerian photographer Jamal Yussuff-Adelakun, which he created with his daughter Lola.
The artworks inspired by the themes of I Can’t Breathe and Black Lives Matter, are created by artists from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, all living in Scotland. The artworks will be colourful, challenging, moving, powerful and diverse – and several of the locations will be supported by extra exhibitions with local relevance.
The artworks will be in a variety of media including paint, photography, video and digital art, in a wide range of styles, including fine art, street art, text, illustrative and abstract.
The artists come from a wide range of backgrounds, including Cape Verde, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan/Harris, USA), some trained, some self taught, combining youth and experience, individuals and artist collectives – all uniquely talented. All will be large scale and hard to miss.
When all Scotland’s venues are closed for the foreseeable future, the mural trail means hey can still have a voice by offering their walls and doors to be used for this dramatic, vital statement of support for Black Lives Matter, say organisers.
On June 9, a spokeswoman for Eden Court talked about the theatre agreeing to find a home and exhibit the artwork that had been displayed on the city's central Ness Bridge.
She said: “We are proud to provide a home for the banners and artworks from the peaceful protest on Ness Bridge.
"The banners and artworks will be brought to Eden Court this Friday and we will aim to have found a way to display them on our grounds by the middle of next week. As Eden Court is closed we cannot yet exhibit them inside. To protect the works, we will find a sheltered place for them to be viewed outside for a two-week period.
"When Eden Court reopens we will exhibit the works in one of our exhibition spaces before allowing them to be collected by their owners or placed in Eden Court’s archive."
Eden Court’s plans are still underway.
(Iron Oxide, Struileag (Commonwealth Games 2014), AfriFest, Edinburgh International Festival)
Photographer Jamal Yussuff-Adelakun and his daughter Lola who is the model in his series of photos on the theme of I Can't Breathe at The Hub, home of Edinburgh International Festival.
EDEN Court will be included on the Black Lives Matter Mural Trail which will connect a dozen arts venues and other sites across Scotland.
The idea for the trail followed the response to the recent international outpouring of support for Black Lives Matter, following the killing of George Floyd in America.
Scotland’s BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) artists are stepping up, supported by leading arts organisations with Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness already confirmed as locations for the trail.
The trail is the brainchild of Edinburgh-based creative producer Wezi Mhura, a specialist in large scale events who pulled the idea together in just over a week, with the support of venues and arts organisations including Edinburgh International Festival, Eden Court Theatre, Dance Base, Queen’s Hall Edinburgh, Glasgow’s King’s Theatre and Theatre Royal, and many more.
One of the first to go up will be at The Hub Edinburgh, which features art based on an original photograph by British-born Nigerian photographer Jamal Yussuff-Adelakun, which he created with his daughter Lola.
The artworks inspired by the themes of I Can’t Breathe and Black Lives Matter, will be created by artists from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, all living in Scotland. The artworks will be colourful, challenging, moving, powerful and diverse –
several of the locations will be supported by extra exhibitions with local relevance.
The artworks will be in a variety of media including paint, photography, video and digital art, in a wide range of styles, including fine art, street art, text, illustrative and abstract.
The artists come from a wide range of backgrounds, including Cape Verde, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan/Harris, USA), some trained, some self taught, combining youth and experience, individuals and artist collectives – all uniquely talented. All will be large scale and hard to miss!
When all Scotland’s venues are closed for the foreseeable future, the mural trail means they can still have a voice by offering their walls and doors to be used for this dramatic, vital statement of support for Black Lives Matter, say organisers.
Eden Court will display the posters and artwork that were taken down from Inverness Bridge shortly.
