Reflecting on ‘Still I Rise’

12 November 2019, Arnolfini Gallery 

Reflecting on ‘Still I Rise’ – at the Arnolfini – By Melissa Chemam

I’ve moved to Bristol in late September, after years spent coming here almost every month.

This residency at the Arnolifini Gallery – along the current ‘Still I Rise’ exhibition – has already been a highlight of my explorations in town. Around themes such as rebellion, creativity, identity, history, culture & multiculturalism. 

My first blog post – that I’ll discuss on the 30^th of November at the Arnolfini – should (hopefully) act as an introduction to my writing. 

The next step is to write other entries for this residency, around these three main issues:

-Feminism for people of colours and community groups who don’t feel included;

-Resistance in the context of convergence: women and men, European people and non-European people need to rethink this world in order to bring change… And art is a wonderful tool to help in achieving this goal;

-The role of fiction in representing resistance and feminist roles/figures.

I will post these texts during the weeks following my talk/tour on the 30^th of November and until early next year, 2020. 

As I’ve discussed with people working at the Arnolfini, people I’ve met in the exhibition, and others I’ve invited to join me here, I’ve come to the conclusion that resistance and feminism in particular are facing a few challenges nowadays, counter-resistance, the repetitive rise of non-progressive powers, inequalities, and the lack of discussion between the different communities in our city and our nation. 

One obsessive question resulting in this internal dialogue is indeed: How did we end up in such intolerant times in the western world after decades of exploration abroad and important sociological changes?

I hope I’ll have more answers to provide by then, but in the meantime all I can promise is some interesting storytelling… 

I believe in the power of stories to address the complexity of our era. And hopefully, they’ll bring in some light to these questions, dealing with the issues of gender, protests, and resistance. 

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Come to the talk/tour!

TOUR | WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE: 

MELISSA CHEMAM

Saturday, 30th November 2019, 16:00 to 18:00
Free → Book

Join our writer-in-residence for a special reading tour of Still I Rise.

We are delighted to have Melissa Chemam working with us as writer-in-residence throughout Still I Rise. On this tour, she will link pieces of writing to a selection of artworks currently exhibited in our galleries.

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Freelance journalist/reporter, radio producer and writer, Melissa Chemam has been presenting her work for print, television and radio since 2004. She has reported for the BBC World Service, Reuters, DW, France 24, and Vox Africa, among others; while her writing has been featured in The Public Art Review, Transfuge Magazine, Le Figaro, Le Monde, Skin Deep, The Bristol Cable, Bristol 24/7, CIRCA Art Magazine, Public Pressure, and The Times Literary Supplement.

Writing is her favoured means of expression, covering literature, the arts, music, but especially social change, migration issues & international politics. Passionate about travel, she has lived in Prague, Miami, London, Nairobi, Bangui (in Central African Republic), Bristol, and Paris (where she was born in 1980). She has travelled to more than 14 African countries in the past 10 years, and 40 countries worldwide.

Her first book published, ‘Massive Attack – Out of the Comfort Zone’, on Bristol’s music, art and politics, was released in the UK in March 2019 by Tangent Book.

You can find out more about her work on her website http://melissa-on-the-road.blogspot.com/