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Help OHOS present new work by exciting artists

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HELP US RAISE THE CASH TO BRING NEW ARTWORK BY EMERGING  ARTISTS TO A CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERY IN READING

OHOS is delighted to announce the line-up of artists exhibiting in 'Beyond Otherness' 9-18 July, an exhibition and event programme, facilitated by OHOS artist Peter Driver:

Nacheal Catnott
G.K. Field
Thirsika Jeyapalan
Maryam Zahra Kazimi
Ollie Musson
Tomilola Olumide
Oren Shoesmith

The symposium on 17th July will be chaired by international artist Harold Offeh. 

BACKGROUND
The Covid-19 pandemic is having a devastating impact on the arts and cultural sector.  With our eyes set on creating new opportunities post-lockdown, we are raising money to supplement the budget for a new exhibition and a series of new commissions by talented emerging artists, in July 2021.

Beyond Otherness will be a ten-day public programme including an exhibition, workshops and performances at 571 Oxford Road Gallery, together with public-billboard art and a symposium in central Reading. The project will showcase the work of a diverse group of emerging artists based in Reading, London and Wolverhampton. Visitors to the gallery can expect to encounter painting, performance, sculpture, installation, video, publication and hands-on workshops led by the artists. 

Informed by their various experiences as African, Black, POC, Muslim, Trans and Queer artists, the participants will curate and present work that pushes beyond 'otherness' and its externally-imposed expectations. Beyond Otherness will look at what it means to go further than our othered identities. We're not limited to the boxes that we're put into, but they are often central to the work - whether explicitly or implicitly. When our identity is politicised, how can we connect and move beyond otherness?

More details about the programme are on the project website . If you would like to support this opportunity for emerging artists, we would welcome your donation.

We’ve already raised enough from grant-giving organisations  to pay the participating artists a professional fee, which was our priority. And we've received lots of valuable support-in-kind from local partners.  We now need a further £2,500 to be able to deliver the project. This is where you come in!  These additional funds will pay for public workshops, gallery overheads, design and print costs, and live-streaming some of the content to make it accessible to the widest possible audience under the current Covid restrictions.  They will also mean we can pay Peter Driver (who is facilitating the project).  We've set a stretch target of £3,500 so if we get more than the £2,500 we need for this project, any excess will go towards OHOS' future programme of exhibitions and projects, giving a platform to recent graduates and emerging artists.

WHO WE ARE
We are  Open Hand Open Space  (OHOS), a Reading-based contemporary art group working to provide affordable studios, support and exhibition opportunities for emerging artists and recent graduates. This includes those who hail from communities that are underrepresented in the economy of contemporary art.

We run 571 Oxford Road Gallery , the primary contemporary art gallery in Reading.  Our mission, in addition to being a space to see and make work, is centred on creating a cultural hub for Reading. Beyond Otherness is the next step in OHOS' plan to become a beacon for new and exciting contemporary art in the region. We aim to deliver a high-quality, diverse and coherent programme through a mix of partnerships and public funding.

PARTNERS AND SUPPORTERS
We are grateful to have received financial and in-kind support for the project from: 
Arts Council England
Reading Pride
Reading International
Reading Alliance for Cohesion and Racial Equality
Reading University, School of Art
Reading Borough Council, and
Contemporary Visual Art Network (South East). 

We would be DELIGHTED if you would join them in supporting us, by donating to this campaign.
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Donations 

  • Laura de Moxom
    • £12 
    • 3 yrs
  • Anonymous
    • £10 
    • 3 yrs
  • Claire Gilbert
    • £20 
    • 3 yrs
  • Nick Harborne
    • £20 
    • 3 yrs
  • Abraham Oseremhen Okoibhole
    • £30 
    • 3 yrs
Donate

Fundraising team: Beyond Otherness - Fundraising Team (3)

Peter Driver
Organizer
Heather McAteer
Team member
Maryam Zahra Kazimi
Team member

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