By Oluwaseun Ademefun 2024 Awardee for Free Studio Award
Art Hub Studios x The Collective Makers have partnered with SET for a group exhibition looking at the profound impact of migration on identity.
Private View
Fri 5 July / 6 – 9pm
Click HERE to RSVP
Exhibition Open (weekends)
Sat 6 – Sun 14 July 2024
11am – 5pm
Artist Talk
Sat 6 July 2 – 4pm
Includes BSL interpreter
Location
SET Woolwich
Beresford St, SE18 6BU
Roots & Routes looks into the profound impact of migration on identity. Inspired by “Migration Identities” by Rina Benmayor and Andor Skotnes, the group exhibition investigates how migration shapes identity across cultures, languages, and societies.
The exhibition celebrates the talent of Emerging Black Artists who have been part of the Art Hub Studios Free Studio Award programme for the past 4 years and features new work by current studio award holder Oluwaseun Ademefun, alongside work by previous award holders Timothy Mpofu, Sharon Adebisi and Carl Dusu.
For the past 4 years Art Hub Studios and The Collective Makers have been working together offering a Free Studio Award to Black artists or people from underrepresented communities within the arts who are based in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The award provides a supportive environment and opportunities for the selected artist to develop their creative practice. This event is in partnership with SET, a multifaceted arts and community organisation based in numerous centres across London. Their mission is to nurture artists’ communities by offering affordable studios – the space, foundations and support to make bold, innovative and exciting new works.
The Artists
Oluwaseun Ademefun (2024 Awardee)
Through expressive portraits of both notable and overlooked individuals, Oluwaseun’s work captures the journey of retaining cultural roots and adapting to new environments. Drawing from her own experience moving to the UK, she illustrates the challenges of culture shock, new weather, and difference in landscape. The exhibition reflects on continuous personal evolution whilst putting down roots and searching for a sense of belonging.
Oluwaseun’s love for art was sparked by her late grandfather, a renowned auctioneer and art collector. Growing up in Lagos, Nigeria, she was captivated by his eclectic collections. Seeing her early sketches, her grandmother recognised her talent and introduced her to a local studio. Pursuing her passion, Oluwaseun earned a Diploma in General Art (2007) and a Higher National Diploma in Painting (2010) from Yaba College of Technology, Lagos. In 2022, Oluwaseun moved to the UK to study for a Master’s in Art and Design at the Cambridge School of Visual and Performing Arts. She has showcased her work at Espacio Gallery and The Cambridge Creative Encounters. Currently, as a Free Studio Award recipient at Art Hub Studios, she explores topics such as identities and migration through distinctive acrylic and oil paintings. She aims to continue pushing boundaries and challenging norms in the art world.
Timothy Mpofu (2023 Awardee)
Timothy Mpofu (born in 2000) known as Bezalel is a self-taught South African contemporary artist currently based in London. His practice explores the interconnections between the materiality of wood and the human condition, using biblical scripture to contextualize his work.
Sharon Adebisi (2022 Awardee)
Sharon Adebisi is a UK based artist who utilises painting as a medium to explore her experiences as a Black British woman. Born and raised in London, Sharon studied Fine Art up until her A-levels, then further refined her painting skills independently while developing her brand ARTBYADEBISI.
Her work speaks on a variety of topics exploring her identity, such as her Nigerian roots, travelling to the African continent for the first time as an adult, the academic pressures of a Nigerian firstborn, love and much more.
Sharon’s works have been exhibited in various locations across the UK, auctioned at Sothebys (2021), and have been shortlisted for the Jackson’s Painting Prize (2020), Ruth Borchard’s Self-Portrait Prize (2021) and ING Discerning Eye (2021). In 2020, Sharon competed on national television in Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year, and in 2023, held her first solo exhibition with The Collective Makers X Art Hub Studios.
Carl Dusu (2021 Awardee)
Carl Dusu is a British-Ghanaian artist and multidisciplinary designer based in London. He graduated with Architecture BA(Hons) & Master of Architecture(MArch) in 2016 and 2019. His creative practice involves exploring varied themes primarily through painting. Self-taught, Carl investigates topics regarding human nature and human-hood. He harnesses his power of storytelling – his own stories and those of others, known and unknown – through his figurative surreal medium/large-scale paintings.
Carl’s works are intended to evoke conversation between the art and its viewer through the purposive play of structure, striking compositions, an array of evocative colours, and decorative features symbolising beauty, loneliness, and growth.
Funded by the The Royal Borough of Greenwich Black History 365 programme
Accessibility: The building has step free access, with lift access to the gallery
Enquiries: luke@arthub.org.uk or info@thecollectivemakers.co.uk
Socials: @ArtHubLondon @thecollectivemakers
Where: SET Woolwich Beresford St, SE18 6BU
Transport: Easy access via foot or bike. Bus Stops (5 mins) / Train (10 mins) / DLR / Lizzy Line (5 mins)