The Journey: Cultural Expressions Exhibition

Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy (MBE) heads a line up of 8 African Caribbean artist's exhibiting work at forthcoming exhibition The Journey: Cultural Expressions.

London Borough of Haringey in association with Alexandra Galleries will be hosting the exhibition as part of Haringey's Black History Month celebrations. The exhibition will be on view at libraries and galleries throughout the borough and will highlight the the transient nature of people from the African Continent, their values and cultural expressions.

Black History Month has been celebrated across the UK every October since 1987 and is a time when we highlight and celebrate the achievements of the Black community and uncover hidden and concealed history about our communities. The Journey: Cultural Expressions runs from 1 - 30 October 2009, admission free. For details of all participating artist's and how to view the exhibitions click here

Open Studio Weekend 4/5th July 2009

Artist Jennifer Lewis will be opening the doors to her studio this weekend as part of the Streatham Festival 2009. Visitors can view her paintings, sculptures, jewellery and other works which will be on sale during the weekend, along with other artist's, at the Streatham Artist's Studios.

Jennifer is a painter, jewellery designer and sculptor living in south London. She began her career as an artist in the mid-eighties designing multimedia material for warehouse parties and clubs. She now works on community projects and private commissions.

Festival fans will be flocking to Streatham in July for a week-long celebration of music, art, dance and lots more besides. Starting on Saturday July 4th with an open-air fun day at the top of Streatham Common, over 40 events will take place throughout the week, ranging from concerts and comedy to walks, talks, films and open air theatre.

4/5th July 11.00 - 5.00pm - ASC Studios, 47c Streatham Hill, London SW2 4TT Tel: 07950212326

New Release at Afro Hair & Beauty 2009

Visit our stand at Afro Hair & Beauty live on 24/25th May 2009 at Alexandra Palace, London, N22.

We will be featuring the latest work by LA performance painter David Garibaldi who, rumour has it, will be visiting these shores in June (listen out for more details).

Alexandra Galleries will be collaborating with UK artist Alvin Kofi to present an inspiring collection of contemporary black art at the bank holiday weekend event.
Afro Hair & Beauty Live

Lightening Bolt

As Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt added the 150 meters world record to his growing tally, his fellow Jamaican, artist Rowan Roberts, launched his special tribute to the champion. Entitled Lightening Bolt (see picture).

This open edition print will soon be available exclusively through Alexandra Galleries. Prices start at £8.50 for A3, £18.00 for A2 and £40.00 for A1. For further details contact us at alxgallery@aol.com.

Kofi roadshow continues

The Kofi roadshow continues at Pempamsie Unity shop in Brixton SW2, Friday 24 April 2009 7.30 - 10pm

Artist Alvin Kofi talks about his latest collection, Lost but not forgotten, and why it is important to reflect our culture and traditions in these troubled times. Kofi reveals " how the past has weaved its way into our conscious expression".

Hear Kofi's views on the subject and present your own on this special evening at Pempamsie, The Unity Shop, 102 Brixton Hill, London SW2 - 07961 422 061. Admission Free View Alvin Kofi's new releases

Alvin Kofi Open Studio weekend

Many of you will have purchased or received a greeting card or limited edition print by popular UK based artist Alvin Kofi. Alvin has been a practising artist and illustrator for almost 20 years and his unique style makes his work instantly recognisable. Alvin is currently working on a new series entitled Lost but not forgotten (see caption) and to celebrate its launch Alexandra Galleries is collaborating with Alvin to host a viewing at his private studio. During the weekend of 28 -29th March 2009 we will be inviting you to step into the heart of Kofi's creative world and see his work in the privacy of his studio. This is an exclusive invitation and a unique opportunity so mark your diaries and watch out for further details. To see a selection of Alvin's current work click here

Lorna Simpson in conversation at Tate Modern

As part of its Talks and Discussion programme, Tate Modern will be hosting an afternoon in conversation with Lorna Simpson, one of the most celebrated artists of her generation.

Talking Art with Lorna Simpson will take place in the Starr Auditorium on Saturday 7 March 2009 with writer Alison Green as the interviewer.

Lorna Simpson became well known in the mid-1980s, confronting and challenging conventional views of gender, identity, culture, history and memory with large-scale photograph and text works.

By the mid-90s, Simpson began to concentrate on creating large multi-panel photographs printed on felt that depict the site of public, yet unseen, sexual encounters. More recently, Simpson has turned to creating moving images. In film and video works such as Call Waiting, she features couples engaging in intimate yet incomplete conversations that elude easy interpretation but seem to plumb the mysteries of identity and desire.

Lorna Simpson was born in 1960 in Brooklyn, New York, and received her Bachelor of Arts in Photography from the School of Visual Arts, New York, and her Masters in Fine Art from the University of California, San Diego.

Her work has been exhibited at The Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago), the Miami Art Museum, the Walker Art Centre (Minneapolis), the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. She was the first Black woman to participate at the Venice Biennale and is the inaugural recipient of the Joyce Alexander Wein Artist prize, which recognizes the achievements of an African-American artist of great innovation, promise and creativity.

In her work, Simpson often portrays black women combined with text to express contemporary society's relationship with race, ethnicity and sex. Necklines (see image above), shows two identical photographs of a black woman's mouth, chin, neck, and collar bone. The white text, “ring, surround, lasso, noose, eye, areola, halo, cuffs, collar, loop”, individual words on black plaques, imply menace, binding or worse. The final phrase, text on red “feel the ground sliding from under you,” openly suggests lynching, though the adjacent images remain serene, non-confrontational and elegant.

2.00-3.30pm Saturday 7th March 2009
Tate Modern, Bankside, London, SE1 9TG
£9 (£5 concessions), booking recommended
www.tate.org.uk