ARTISTS

Aariya Shah

Amy Powell

Artemis Van Dorssen

Astha Garg

Astrid Harris

Breanna Gordon

Dan Rong

Ella Reid

Fran Adu-Gyamfi

Heiyi Tam

Janani Vekteswaran

Jasmine Hohbein Green

Kai Yan Cheung

Kitty McCarhty

Laura Nies

Lily Hou

Miya Kosowick Mawatari

Pallavi Chamarty

Sol Mazarredo

Suzanne Elven

Unza Khuran

Yushi Zheng

Zehra Marikar

“Home is not a place, but a feeling”

23.02.23 - 25.02.23

From the 23rd to the 25th of February 2023, The Curation Society and Decolonising Fashion Society of the University of Arts London presented Home on Me at Hoxton Arches, a collaborative exhibition contributing to the movement of decolonising cultural narratives by exploring notions of home, identity, and belonging.

The artists were asked to think about home as what they carry on, and their individual voyages meet at parallel explorations of language and translation, memory and dreaming, and the life of objects. Upon entry, the visitors are greeted with a flock of envelopes capturing moments of belonging, setting forward the concept of migration as an external and internal motion.

The works have been combined to provoke quiet conversations with each other and create spaces of saga-like narratives. Opaque white walls guard the nostalgic dreams of Heiyi Tam and the present memories of Astrid Harris, but are also used to consolidate Zehra Marikar’s worries in ‘lost in translation’ under the harmony of Laura Nies’ ‘Togetherness’. Fashion is explored as a device for decolonisation through Unza Kharam’s oil portrayal of the power in South Asian textile, which materialises in Astha Garg’s garment piece. In the same space, Suzanne Eleven’s lace curtain installation is placed as a semi-transparent layer to Breanna Gordon’s bare bodies, adding a dimensional and narrative depth to both pieces.

The last room celebrates the life and afterlife of objects, with works including remnants from Artemis van Dorssen’s childhood home, paintings made out of the tarnish from Kai Yan Cheung’s family silver jewellery, and Janani Venkateswaran’s photography of the ornaments we carry.

An exhibition as multifaceted and pluralistic as the word ‘home’ itself, the works vary in mediums and angles, creating spaces rich in textures, colours, and emotions. In a time where identity is questioned and challenged, Home on Me is an answer that celebrates pluralistic identity, double-consciousness, cultural heritage, and bodily autonomy.

Working in the curation team and authoring the combinations of works was one of the most rewarding elements of this project: the beauty of these details is that they love being found as much as we love finding them. It also meant balancing two different lenses: what the artist wanted to bring to life, and what reached the audience. The relationship we fostered with the artists and the meaningful conversations that rose from working closely together helped bridge these two views in harmony. Our shared giggles, heart flutters, and whispers echoed through Hoxton Arches at the private view and resided in that space until the last day — they are the testament of our team spirit and the legacy of this work.

Lisja Tërshana

(London, UK) University of Arts London’s The Curation Society and Decolonising Fashion Society are thrilled to present ‘Home on Me’, opening on the 23rd of February through to the 25th at Hoxton Arches. This collaboration will show a selection of works surrounding the notions of home and belonging.

In a time where identity is pressingly questioned and challenged, ‘Home on Me’ is an answer that celebrates pluralistic identity, double-consciousness, cultural heritage, and bodily autonomy. Visitors are led into the intimate corners of the artists’ worlds where they’re invited to share the joy of their fondest dreams and asked to see sorrows of tender memories. Their unspoken voyages meet through parallel explorations of language and translation, memory and dreaming, and the life of objects — the visitors are encouraged to discover these interactions and use them to author saga-like narratives. The world of ‘Home on Me’ is rich in mediums and textures, with works including acrylic on wood, garment pieces, photography, and installations. Lisja Tërshana, curation team member.

Admin:

Yaska Sahara Hirani Harji (President of the Decolonising fashion society)

Zehra Marikar and Sofiya Marynyak (President of the Curation society)

Alice Kim (Treasurer of the Curation society)

Exhibiting Artists:

Aariya Shah, Amy Powell, Artemis van Dorssen, Astha Garg, Astrid Harris, Breanna Gordon, Dan Rong, Ella Reid, Fran Adu-Gyamfi, Heiyi Tam, Janani Venkateswaran, Jasmine Hohbein Green, Kai Yan Cheung, Kitty McCarthy, Laura Nies, Lily Hou, Miya Kosowick Mawatari, Pallavi Chamarty, Sol Mazarredo Quijano, Suzanne Elven, Unza Khuram, Yushi zheng, Zehra Marikar

Curation Team:

Lisja Tërshana, Zehra Marikar, Aariya Shah, Artemis Van Dorssen, Dan Rong, Yushi Zheng, Lily Hou, Fran Adu, Alice Kim, Haoyue Chen

Design Team:

Sol Mazarredo and Fatima Hussain

Selected Artist Quotes:

“I am attempting to describe a dissociative disorder called derealisation that I experienced, in which one feels detached from the world and their body, a strange phenomenon that feels like you are dreaming while fully conscious.”

- Breanna Gordon -

“I destabilizes narratives of mixed heritage and relationships to place and culture in an increasingly globalized age. Found everyday objects no longer serve their original purpose as they are manipulated to hold new meanings.”

- Miya Kosowick Mawatari -

“I want to illicit memories through sensory experience”

- Zehra Marikar -

Dates and opening hours:

23 Feb, Thursday: 6pm - 9pm

24 Feb, Friday: 10am - 7pm

25 Feb, Saturday: 10am - 5pm

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