Cover Image: ‘Sistren’, Yvadney Davis

Some of Us Are Brave is making a return in Oxford for Internationals Women’s Day and will run from 7th -27th March 2022. For the third edition of this touring exhibition, CasildART, is proud to present exciting new works by a range of artists including Michelle Ayavoro, Diana Rosa and Bryony Benge-Abbott on show to enjoy and purchase.

This powerhouse exhibition explores themes of the feminine, form and function in the production of Black women’s art. so what better way to celebrate the unequivocal brilliance of women than through an exhibition showcasing the incredible talent and creative diversity of Black female artists!

Among the artists featured in the original show are Bokani and Hannah Uzor. Bokani appeared on the BBC1 ‘Painting Challenge’ and was a winner of the public vote. We are delighted to feature some new works by Bokani whose vibrant paintings push at the boundaries of abstraction. Hannah, who often features on CNN & Sky News, portrait of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, (Queen’s Victoria’s Black goddaughter) is an emergent star. The exhibition features two earlier works: ‘Don’t Touch My Hair and ‘Initiation: Journey to Womanhood’

The title of the show takes its name from a book of Black feminist writings published in 1982 entitled: All the Women Are White, All the Blacks Are Men, But Some of Us Are Brave. The collection of essays was edited by Akasha (Gloria T.) Hull and Patricia Bell and was the first comprehensive writings on the issue of race and gender in the US, covering everything from racism and sexism to the role of Black female artists. It was also one of the first texts to talk about the intersection of class, race and gender as a way of explaining how Black women’s views and experiences were often marginalised in conversations about race and gender.

Black women artists have used art to convey narratives about race, culture, identity as well as to document and celebrate Black life, but their artistic contributions are often overlooked. This exhibition will open up conversations about how art can provoke, inspire and transform our thinking on a range of issues from visual language to representation and ecology.

Please visit our website for more information and to purchase the artworks in the exhibition!

The exhibition has been curated by Sukai Eccleston, founder and owner of CasildART a not for profit that supports contemporary Black artists by exhibiting their work in traditional and non traditional settings. This is the third rendition of Some of Us Are Brave, which we have developed as a UK-wide touring exhibition. We have partnered with Fusion Arts, a catalyst for creative projects in the heart of East Oxford and beyond, to bring this new edition to Oxford. Fusion was established in 1977 to support social justice and education and have been working to host and initiate artistic projects that promote critical connections between artists and their local community.