Words in "Arnolfini"...

I'm very very proud to have been chosen as the new writer-in-residence in the Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol, this means a lot as a writer and is the perfect outcome for a special and intense journey in the UK... 

We don't know how this journey is going to end, but this will definitely involve some more write. 

Very grateful!

Arnolfini

13 mins · 

Very excited to announce our Writer in Residence for Still I Rise is Freelance journalist/reporter, radio producer and writer, Melissa Chemam. Her first published book, 'Massive Attack – Out of the Comfort Zone', on Bristol's music, art and politics, was released in the UK in March 2019 and is available to buy from @ArnolfiniBookshop. 

Here's a few words from Melissa:

I couldn’t be more thrilled to join the Arnolfini as their writer-in-residence, especially at this time for such a unique exhibition. The gallery is one of the first places I visited when I first came to Bristol almost 5 years ago, and I spent a lot of time here, being interested in your Graffiti Art display in July 2015 and deeply inspired by the art work of John Akomfrah. The themes of rebellion, resistance and feminism have been with me since my youth, as a protester myself since my teenage years, as the daughter/grand-daughter of Algerian freedom fighters and as a journalist. Travelling on four continents, I’ve also collected the thoughts of so many women whose lives are in themselves a form of resistance… These souvenirs already resonate with my first visit into the art rooms of ‘Still I Rise’ and I look forward to spending more time in this incredible environment.

Melissa writes for many publications such as The Public Art Review, Transfuge Magazine, Le Figaro, Le Monde, Skin Deep, The Bristol Cable, Bristol 24/7, CIRCA Art Magazine, The Times Literary Supplement and Public Pressure. Here's her review of Still I Rise in Public Pressure. 

Keep an eye on our page for more of Melissa's work during her residency.

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See more on the gallery's facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/arnolfiniarts/

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My review of the exhibition here:

https://www.publicpressure.org/the-rise-and-pride-of-feminists-art/?fbclid=IwAR0--SLzNaBkG0YuQQxSJHmEdsqXrn5lxg69DnZjzRaG0Fpn1MP6gMKL7iU

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STILL I RISE: 

FEMINISMS, GENDER, RESISTANCE 

- ACT 3

Saturday 14 September 2019 to Sunday 15 December 2019, 11:00 to 18:00 Open Tuesday - Sunday, closed on Mondays.

Free

A large-scale exhibition of international artists, highlighting the experiences of women and celebrating their triumphs – and showing how the struggle for liberation is ongoing and hard-won.

Website: https://www.arnolfini.org.uk/whatson/still-i-rise-feminisms-gender-resistance-act-3

Mrs F's "You Don't Speak For Us" Protest Single

A very interesting song!

There's a touch of Lana Del Rey in the track, but with a political energy...

Have a listen:

Mrs F "You Don't Speak For Us" Protest Single

Hey corrupt Leaders: “You Don’t Speak For Us”! Protest Single out in all music stores. "It always seems impossible until it is done" ~ Nelson Mandela

Mrs F is raising funds for The 3 Million

https://the3million.allwelcome.org/en/donations/campaign/29/donate/

Mrs F said:

"This is our song For those who feel they have no voice For those who have been ignored and stonewalled This is not a cry of desperation, but a cry of determination We have a voice and will be heard Together we can and WILL hold our leaders accountable This is our song

More songs to follow too." With love Mrs F xx

- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6tcQXo... Google Play Music: https://play.google.com/store/music/a... Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/track/77613355...

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Lyrics:

So you think you can speak for me And you say you see everything clearly But your facts don't quite add up And your plans are frankly eerie Your head's in the sand Fingers are in your ears You don't speak for us No no no no There's a boy you'll never know An aching mother is praying and crying for her child So many things you just don't get Your little head, just don't fret Your head's in the sand Fingers are in your ears Lying through your teeth You bring misery for years You don't speak for us No no no no Every child deserves a decent education Every person has a right to dignity and liberation Our planet is ill and so is our society Stop Listen If not for headlines sipping tea These troubled streets you would never see But they have a voice and will be heard We have a voice and will be heard

Credits: Lyrics, Melody & Performance: Mrs F Production: Mario Babojelic Additional Production, Mix & Mastering: George Shilling https://www.georgeshilling.com/

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ABOUT MRS F 

Originally from South Africa, Mrs F lived in England, but relocated after Brexit. 

User Researcher by day, singer by night. Self-serving leaders, “You Don’t Speak For Us”! Protest Single coming soon

Mrs  F has been told she sounds like a cross between London Grammar and Lorde. Her music leans towards cinematic dream pop. 

Mrs F has recently started releasing her own compositions and will be sharing her new music and videos along with her journey here. Having spent years as the lead vocalist for jazz bands, you can also expect a unique take on some of her jazz standards too.

"Threat to democracy"

So Jeremy Corbyn cancelled his visit to Bristol...? 

I wonder what's happening in the head of these people in the UK Labour party. 

Do any of them ever read about this, Cambridge Analytica, and that's why they don't do anything to try and stop the current suicidal policies? Beware of the ripple effect worldwide...

I've posted this already. But it need to be posted again.

Facebook's role in Brexit — and the threat to democracy | Carole Cadwalladr

In an unmissable talk, journalist Carole Cadwalladr digs into one of the most perplexing events in recent times: the UK's super-close 2016 vote to leave the European Union. Tracking the result to a barrage of misleading Facebook ads targeted at vulnerable Brexit swing voters -- and linking the same players and tactics to the 2016 US presidential election -- Cadwalladr calls out the "gods of Silicon Valley" for being on the wrong side of history and asks: Are free and fair elections a thing of the past?

La Colonie: Murs, frontières, graffiti

Paris en novembre :

Calendrier Novembre 2019 Samedi 915h30 à 18h Border Wall Aesthetics - Œuvres d'art dans les espaces frontaliers 30 ans après la chute du mur de Berlin, nous vivons à l'ère de la mondialisation et du libre-échange. Néanmoins, 70 nouveaux murs frontaliers ont été construits au cours de cette période - ensemble, ils couvriraient la circonférence totale de la Terre. Mais est-ce seulement l'attrait de la transgression qui les attire - ou y a-t-il une signification plus profonde dans la rencontre artistique avec les murs de la frontière ? Avec Elisa Ganivet, Melissa Chemam (journaliste, auteure de En dehors de la zone de confort, De Massive Attack à Banksy, l’histoire d’un groupe d’artistes, de leur ville, Bristol, et de leurs révolutions) et  Marco Godinho (artiste). Lien: http://lacolonie.paris/agenda/2019/novembre/border-wall-aesthetics-uvres-dart-dans-les-espaces-frontaliers-evenement-autour-du-livre-de-elisa-ganivet/

My review of 'Still I Rise'

I wrote this for Public Pressure:

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Judy Chicago

The rise and pride of feminist art

by Melissa Chemam

‘Still I Rise’ began as an itinerant art exhibition in Nottingham in October 2018 and has now arrived in Bristol’s Arnolfini Gallery. Its subtitle is quite telling – ‘Feminisms, Gender, Resistance’ – and it comes at a crucial time. 

When it was programmed in 2016, Trump, Bolsonaro and Johnson were not yet in power, women’s marches would make literally no headlines, and no one could have ever predicted that the #metoo movement would break the silence on sexism in the entertainment industry. 

But in the background, in Brazil, Northern Ireland, Turkey and way beyond, thousands of anonymous women were still fighting for their civil and human rights. Just like thousands of others before them had, for many decades.

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Rachael House

I’ve spent hours in this gallery since I started my book on Bristol’s music and street art. And I feel privileged to have been chosen as Arnolfini’s new resident writer. 

This exhibition is an empowering sanctuary featuring art, photography and films, describing the different forms that feminism has taken over the years and across continents. 

The pieces of work are spread over two floors of the Arnolfini Gallery, the leading centre for contemporary art in the South West of England, on display until mid-December. 

Central to the exhibition are Judy Chicago’s early 70s photographs, celebrating the female body surrounded by natural elements. Judy is also the founder of the first feminist art programme in the United States. One of her photographs has become the poster for the exhibition. 

The title, ‘Still I Rise’, is directly inspired by African American activist Maya Angelou’s famous poem, addressing patriarchal oppression and racial discrimination. Two battles we are still fighting, decades after its publication. 

The fights for civil rights in the United States, in Botswana or Argentina, are also represented through photography and by ‘Water Ritual’, a film about the black female body, nature and self-empowerment, directed by Barbara McCullough.

A few of my favourite photos are those of Himalayan women protesting to protect their environment by pacifically hugging trees, taken by Indian artist Pamela Singh.

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Pamela Singh

Other artists include Gran Fury, Blondell Cummings, Zoe Leonard, Dyke Action Machine!, Joan Jett Blakk, fierce pussy, Monica Sjöö and many more, from Argentina, Iran and further away. 

The bisexual Swedish painter, writer and radical anarcho-eco-feminist Monica Sjöö was an early exponent of the “Goddess movement” and later moved to Bristol in 1950s, where she lived until her passing in 2005. Her painting ‘God Giving Birth’ (1968), which depicts a non-white woman giving birth, was famously censored multiple times before she was reported to the police for blasphemy. Her paintings featured here represent women dancing and iconic female pagan figures. 

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Gille de Vlieg

Issues of domestic violence, domestic work and marital inequality are also addressed through a series of posters from different decades and countries, mentioning dozens of acts of resistance against the marginalisation of women, and highlighting women’s right to vote, abortion rights and discrimination against lesbian women. 

Other strong themes evocated are the defence of homosexuals’ rights and numerous marches for peace and for the protection of the environment, in a world dominated by greed, materialism and lust for power. The exhibition has also evolved to include works reflecting local conversations about the city’s legacy of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, by focusing on black feminist artwork and activism. 

It’s an understatement to say how empowering a walk through these rooms is; especially for a woman reporter, in a society where art and media are still heavily dominated by men. 

The works of these iconic artists have rarely graced the walls of popular galleries and museums. ‘Still I Rise’ stands as a profound and necessary reminder that that struggle is far from over. Hopefully, in the current climate protests and political upheavals, female voices will be heard.

Still I Rise: Feminisms, Gender, Resistance – Act 3
14 September 2019 to 15 December 2019, 11:00 to 18:00 
Open Tuesday – Sunday, closed on Mondays
Arnolfini Gallery, Narrow Quay, Bristol, UK
Free entry

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Link to article: https://www.publicpressure.org/the-rise-and-pride-of-feminists-art/