ActionSpace’s Brent studio artists presented two exhibitions for Brent Biennial 2022
Dreaming in Colour
21 July – 1 September
Kiln Theatre, 269 Kilburn High Road, London, NW6 7J
‘Dreaming in Colour’ was a new wall work and exhibition which opened on 21 July at Kiln Theatre as part of Brent Biennial 2022. The wall work was produced as a collaborative piece for the Biennial by artist Jorell Bonnick with local young people who attend SEN schools and day centres, Woodfield School, The Village School, The Inclusion Project and John Billam Centre. The young people took part in printmaking workshops at ActionSpace’s Brent studio, taking inspiration from Jorell’s work and their reflections on the borough as home. Jorell then collated the works into one large fabric banner to hang in the entrance space of Kiln Theatre. The banner, as a collective work, celebrated the interconnectedness of our communities and how a sense of care and connection can make us feel at home.
The installation coincided with Kiln Theatre’s new play ‘The Darkest Part of the Night‘, by Zodwa Nyoni, which told the story of a brother and sister coping in the aftermath of their mother’s death. The brother is autistic, and the play explored the complexities and beauty of what it means to care for one another.
Shown alongside was an exhibition of six artists from ActionSpace’s Brent studio in Barham Park with works by Abubakar Akram, Iffah Amaioua, Jorell Bonnick, Mohammed Imran Khan, Joe Leung and Daniel Seneviratne.
I close my eyes and dream away
7 July- 6 August
Locations in Clapham and Willesden Green
Jorell Bonnick was selected alongside four other Brent based artists to create a new public artwork for Brent Biennial’s In the House of my Love billboard commission. Jorrel’s abstract drawing was installed on high-street billboards in Brent, the home of Metroland Cultures, and in Clapham, the home of Studio Voltaire, who was a partner on this commission. The artwork was titled ‘I close my eyes and dream away’.
Find out more about the commission
About Brent Biennial 2022
Titled ‘In the House of my Love’, the Biennial brought together artists and groups whose work proposes various strategies for homemaking within the context of hostile environments. The 2022 Brent Biennial theme paid homage to the many histories and legacies of migration that have made Brent the second most ethnically diverse borough in London. Eliel Jones, curator of Brent Biennial, wrote about the Brent Biennial in this article in Art Review.
Our Brent studio artists had a major presence in Brent Borough of Culture and the first Brent Biennial in 2020 and have established themselves as a key component of Brent’s cultural landscape.
To find out more about ActionSpace’s Brent Biennial 2020 programme ‘Brent Culture Switch’ here.
Exhibition photo credit: Thierry Bal
Supported by Brent Biennial 2022, produced by Metroland Cultures. ActionSpace’s Brent studio is supported by John Lyon’s Charity.
