Osheen Siva: Karuppu The first UK exhibition by multidisciplinary artist Osheen Siva is entitled ‘Karuppu’ (கருப்பு – meaning darkness/black in Tamil). Taking a cue from Afrofuturism, Siva’s work brings together science fiction, mythology, heritage, their love of comic books, and the vibrant, joyful colours of South India.
Aja playing to a full room People enjoying the opening of Osheen's exhibition View of the atrium where food was being servedPeople enjoying the opening of Osheen's exhibition People enjoying the opening of Osheen's exhibition People enjoying the opening of Osheen's exhibition People enjoying the opening of Osheen's exhibition People enjoying the opening of Osheen's exhibition People enjoying the opening of Osheen's exhibition People enjoying the opening of Osheen's exhibition People enjoying the opening of Osheen's exhibition People taking photographs of Oshee's workA person dancing next to Osheen's artworks. A discussion of Shahnawaz's work in our vitrines space People having conversation in our vitrines space Taking photos through the peep holesReading through the interpretation of Shahnawaz's watercoloursA discussion of the works presented in our exhibitionsLooking through the peep holesA discussion of Shahnawaz's work in our vitrines space People filming through the peep holes of Peep Show
Aja playing to a full room People enjoying the opening of Osheen's exhibition View of the atrium where food was being servedPeople enjoying the opening of Osheen's exhibition People enjoying the opening of Osheen's exhibition People enjoying the opening of Osheen's exhibition People enjoying the opening of Osheen's exhibition People enjoying the opening of Osheen's exhibition People enjoying the opening of Osheen's exhibition People enjoying the opening of Osheen's exhibition People enjoying the opening of Osheen's exhibition People taking photographs of Oshee's workA person dancing next to Osheen's artworks. A discussion of Shahnawaz's work in our vitrines space People having conversation in our vitrines space Taking photos through the peep holesReading through the interpretation of Shahnawaz's watercoloursA discussion of the works presented in our exhibitionsLooking through the peep holesA discussion of Shahnawaz's work in our vitrines space People filming through the peep holes of Peep Show
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There is lift and stairs access and an accessible toilet
Enjoy music in our Atrium from electronic DJs MOANand AJA.
MOAN explores self-liberation, sexual pleasures and unique narratives from all over the world through a variety of creative outputs.
An erotic platform that acts as a diary for as many people as possible – with a primary focus on women and non-binary. A safe space and a judgement free zone for experiences, fantasies, fetishes and issues to be discussed through a women and non-binary perspective openly. A narrative not often explored in mainstream media.
Using the power of electronic music & events to connect with the community on a deeper level, to rebel and to create multisensory narratives, which make our activism harder to silence. MOAN events bring people together and are a catalyst for liberation and exploration. If you are interested by this, online mixes are uploaded on SoundCloud for you to listen and all event details are updated through the Instagram.
Aja Ireland is an award-winning sound and performance artist making deconstructed club and industrial techno whose live shows are described in The WIRE Magazine as “Shifting from ethereal diffusions to potent explosions.”
The album SLUG was released on Opal Tapes in October 2021. The video GRIME created by IMPATV and AJA, featured on Creative Review’s ‘Best Music Videos of 2021’ who described the track as: “brutal, visceral and unrelentingly noisy”.
Aja’s debut album released in 2018 on Opal Tapes was greeted with critical acclaim and
the artist was featured in VICE, The Quietus, Elephant Magazine, Red Bull Music and The Dazed Magazine. IN 2018, Aja won the PRS Oram Award for innovative music production.
Aja scored the spatial sound design for Joey Holder’s art installations Ophiux, Adcredo The Deep Belief Network (toured at Matt’s Gallery and 6th Athens Bienalle), Semelparous which was shown in The British Art Show and and Cryptic at Two Queens Gallery.
In AJA’s latest project, CRYPTID, an EP, music video, and full audio visual live set will be released later this year for the upcoming 2024 AV performance tour. The visuals project a realm where volcanic, ritualistic circles of standing stones merge seamlessly with projections of microscopic creatures. AJA takes on the persona of a cryptid hybrid, adorned in sculptural fashion nightmares, eating green lasers and morphing into underwater creatures.
Don’t miss the first UK exhibition by multidisciplinary artist Osheen Siva,entitled ‘Karuppu’ (கருப்பு – meaning darkness/black in Tamil). The exhibition includes drawings and paintings, collaborative tapestries crafted with local woman artisans, and the incorporation of leather, laden with political and caste contexts in India.
Originally from Thiruvannamalai in South India, and currently based in Goa, Siva is an acclaimed artist whose practice encompasses painting, drawing, performance and public art. As a digital illustrator they have collaborated with leading global brands including Apple, Gucci, and Meta.
Taking a cue from Afrofuturism, Siva’s work brings together science fiction, mythology, heritage, their love of comic books, and the vibrant, joyful colours of South India to create fantastical characters and dreamscapes, reclaiming and reinventing Indian folktales and myths to imagine a decolonised future.
Siva’s work is rooted in their Dalit and Tamil heritage. Dalit translates as ‘broken, divided, split, shattered’ and Dalits are among India’s most marginalised citizens, condemned to the lowest echelons of society by a rigid caste hierarchy. Karuppu – meaning darkness or black in Tamil – carries associations with ‘evil’ in Hindu mythology and is often used in reference to the lower caste and the ‘untouchables’. Siva navigates the complexities of Dalit history, offering a powerful and evocative exploration of identity, resistance, and the quest for a liberated future.
A self-taught illustrator and muralist from Thiruvannamalai, India, Osheen Siva imagines a brave new world of decolonized dreamscapes and narratives of queer power
Siva’s Dalit Futurism reclaims the word Karuppu, seeking to invert and transform the arbitrary structure of caste through a narrative of mutation and hybridity. The beautiful mutant characters serve as a metaphor, challenging assigned social status and established histories with non-binary fluidity, championing bodily autonomy, and highlighting queer and feminine power.
Central to the exhibition is the reclamation and reinvention of Indian mythologies. Siva’s work critiques Hindu scriptures and ancient Sanskrit texts that perpetuate the discrimination of lower-caste individuals. Deliberately countering the lack of positive imagery associated with Dalit communities, Siva creates progressive depictions, envisioning a future that transcends existing stereotypes.
Exploring their heritage in the farming communities of Tamil Nadu, nature is a recurring motif in Siva’s work. Acting as a dual symbol, the natural world conveys fruitfulness and abundance and also highlights the trauma associated with labour and bondage, creating a complex dialogue between nature and social hierarchy.
Images by Osheen Siva, 2024.
எதிர்காலம் நம்முடையது (Ethirkalam Namathathé), 2022, Embroidery on cotton.எதிர்பார் (Ethirpar), 2023, Embroidery on cotton fabric.இணைInai (Inai), 2021, Ink, acrylic and on canvas.நண்பர்கள் (Nanbargal), 2024, Acrylic on canvas.வளர்ச்சி (Valarchy), 2024, Acrylic on canvasInstallation detailInstallation detailInstallation detailபரிணாமம் (Parinaamam), 2023, Ink and acrylic on canvas.கற்பனயுலகு (Karpanaiulagu), 2023, Ink on lokta paper.ஒற்றுமை (Wottrumai), 2021, Ink and acrylic on paper.வணக்கம் (Vannakam), 2021, Ink and acrylic on paper.எதிர்காலம் (Ethirkalam), 2023, Ink and gouache on lokta paper.அழகு (Aḻaku) 01, 2023, Ink and gouache on paper.Installation viewInstallation viewஅழகு (Aḻaku) 01, 2023, Ink and gouache on paper.Installation viewInstallation viewInstallation view(Left to right) அமர், (Amar) 04, 2024, Acrylic on canvas.; நெருக்கம் (Warmth), 2021, Ink, acrylic and aerosol on paper; வலிமை (Valimai), 2021, Ink and acrylic on paperInstallation viewInstallation viewInstallation viewInstallation view(Left to right) கற்பனயுலகு (Arcadia), 2023, and உருவம் (Uruvam) 01, 02, and 03, 2023Installation viewInstallation view(Left to right) அழகு (Aḻaku) 02, 01, and 03 2023, Ink and gouache on paper(Left to right) உருவம் (Uruvam) 03, 02, and 01, 2023, Ink and gouache on paper(Left to right) இளவரசி (Elavarasi) 1, 2, and 3, 2023, Acrylic on canvas.
எதிர்காலம் நம்முடையது (Ethirkalam Namathathé), 2022, Embroidery on cotton.எதிர்பார் (Ethirpar), 2023, Embroidery on cotton fabric.இணைInai (Inai), 2021, Ink, acrylic and on canvas.நண்பர்கள் (Nanbargal), 2024, Acrylic on canvas.வளர்ச்சி (Valarchy), 2024, Acrylic on canvasInstallation detailInstallation detailInstallation detailபரிணாமம் (Parinaamam), 2023, Ink and acrylic on canvas.கற்பனயுலகு (Karpanaiulagu), 2023, Ink on lokta paper.ஒற்றுமை (Wottrumai), 2021, Ink and acrylic on paper.வணக்கம் (Vannakam), 2021, Ink and acrylic on paper.எதிர்காலம் (Ethirkalam), 2023, Ink and gouache on lokta paper.அழகு (Aḻaku) 01, 2023, Ink and gouache on paper.Installation viewInstallation viewஅழகு (Aḻaku) 01, 2023, Ink and gouache on paper.Installation viewInstallation viewInstallation view(Left to right) அமர், (Amar) 04, 2024, Acrylic on canvas.; நெருக்கம் (Warmth), 2021, Ink, acrylic and aerosol on paper; வலிமை (Valimai), 2021, Ink and acrylic on paperInstallation viewInstallation viewInstallation viewInstallation view(Left to right) கற்பனயுலகு (Arcadia), 2023, and உருவம் (Uruvam) 01, 02, and 03, 2023Installation viewInstallation view(Left to right) அழகு (Aḻaku) 02, 01, and 03 2023, Ink and gouache on paper(Left to right) உருவம் (Uruvam) 03, 02, and 01, 2023, Ink and gouache on paper(Left to right) இளவரசி (Elavarasi) 1, 2, and 3, 2023, Acrylic on canvas.
We are excited to announce details of the three gallery exhibitions that will form part of our 2023/24 programme, launching in September 2023.
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John Beck and Matthew Cornford: The Art Schools of the East Midlands Open: Friday 22 September – Saturday 2 December, 2023 Preview: Thursday 21 September, 6–8 pm
Featuring new photographic work depicting all the art school buildings of the East Midlands, or the sites upon which they stood, this exhibition aims to celebrate and encourage critical reflection on the place of art schools and art education in the region past, present and future.
The ‘Art School Project’ is an art and research collaboration that explores the history of the British art school system, its regional variations, educational and political contexts, and vital cultural legacies. Beck and Cornford’s photographic survey of the art schools of the North West was exhibited at Liverpool Bluecoat (2018), Bury Art Museum (2019) and Rochdale Touchstones (2021). Recent work on the West Midlands was shown at the New Art Gallery Walsall (February – July 2023) and a public artwork, commissioned by Meadow Arts and Hereford College of Arts, opened in Hereford June 2023.
John Beck is a writer and a Professor in the School of Humanities at the University of Westminster.
Matthew Cornford is an artist and Professor of Fine Art at the University of Brighton.
Onyeka Igwe – history is a living weapon in yr hand Open: Saturday 13 January – Saturday 2 March, 2024 Preview: Friday 12 January, 6–8 pm
Onyeka Igwe is a London born and based moving image artist and researcher. Her work is aimed at the question: how do we live together? She is interested in the prosaic and everyday aspects of black livingness and exploring overlooked histories.
She was nominated for the 2022 Jarman Award, MaxMara Artist Prize for Women 2022-24, awarded the 2021 Foundwork Artist Prize, 2020 Arts Foundation Futures Award for Experimental Short Film and was the recipient of the Berwick New Cinema Award in 2019.
Osheen Siva Open: Saturday 16 March – Saturday 4 May, 2024 Preview: Friday 15 March, 6–8 pm
Osheen Siva is an artist, illustrator and muralist, currently based in Goa. Through the lens of surrealism, speculative fiction and science fiction and rooted in their Dalit and Tamil heritage, Siva imagines new worlds of decolonized dreamscapes with mutants and monsters and narratives of queer and feminine power. They work in a variety of mediums including immersive media, installations, performance art, public art and digital illustration.
Past clients have included The New York Times, Adult Swim, Meta, Apple, Gucci, Adi Magazine, Absolut, Dr. Martens, Decolonize Festamong others.
