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Artists Ope Lori and Othello De'Souza-Hartley discuss creative inspiration and collaboration, working through self-doubt, and the meaning of home in this livestreamed talk produced by students at London College of Communication
During the Covid-19 lockdown, students at the London College of Communication (LCC) voiced a desire to witness practitioners and professionals in their studio spaces and workplaces giving lighter and less guarded insights into their creative journeys. They were calling for a new brand of artist talk. And this is how New Waves was born; a series of livestreamed talks and workshops created by Media Photography Students at LCC.
Since the start of New Waves in 2019, the livestreams have collaborated on live fashion shoots, studio lighting demos, portfolio reviews and more with the likes of Eddie Otchere, Luke&Nik, Theo Cottle, Alizé Demange, Revolv Collective and Lola & Pani. In 2021, the series became a student-led initiative, driven by their interests and now champions the possibilities of them developing their own online teaching content with some of today’s most exciting practitioners and arts organisations.
Autograph was proud to team up with the students, to film this livestreamed conversation with artists Ope Lori and Othello De'Souza-Hartley in the context of our current exhibition Care | Contagion | Community - Self & Other. Watch the conversation back below, as they discuss the meaning of home, working through self-doubt, artistic inspiration and collaboration.
Ope Lori uses lens-based media to investigate politics of representation, often in relation to cultural and sexual identity. Her interdisciplinary research-led practice routinely challenges taboos and societal conventions.
Lori holds a post-doctoral Research Fellowship at Transnational Art Identity and Nation Research Centre, University of the Arts London, where she completed her PhD in 2014. She is the author of the forthcoming book, Beyond The Feminine: The Politics of Skin Colour and Gender in Visual Representations (Bloomsbury, 2021/22) and the director of PILAA (Pre-Image Learning And Action), an arts and diversity company which she founded in 2015. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. You can find out more about Lori's work on her website.
Othello De’Souza-Hartley explores ideas around the human body as a site of embodiment, taking inspiration from classical paintings and art historical tableaux. His multi-faceted practice encompasses photography, film, performance, sound, drawing and painting.
De’Souza-Hartley has been the recipient of numerous artistic commissions including from Camden Art Centre; The Photographers’ Gallery; Platform for Art and the National Portrait Gallery – his recent works have been exhibited at The Museum of Liverpool, UK; Shanghai Centre for Photography, China (2019); Open Eye Gallery in Liverpool and Gasworks, London.
You can follow the artist on Instagram and visit De'Souza-Hartley's website to see more of his work.
Ten artist commissions responding to the wider contexts of the Covid-19 crisis. Exhibition on now at Autograph's gallery in London.
Book free tickets New Waves was developed by BA Photography Lecturer D.Wiafe for the London College of Communication Media School. This livestream was produced by Mars Obonyo, George Dyer, Jodie Michaelides, Tom Martin and Nina Veech and funded by the BA and MA Photography programmes.
Banner image: Behind the scenes of the livestream. Image courtesy of New Waves and London College of Communications.
Images on page: 1) Ope Lori. Photograph courtesy of the artist. 2) Othello De'Souza-Hartley. Photograph by Nico Froechlich.
Discover more images: 1) Othello De'Souza-Hartley, from Absence (triptych) [detail]. From the commission Blind, but I can See, 2020. © and courtesy the artist, commissioned by Autograph for Care I Contagion I Community – Self & Other. 2) Ope Lori, still from I, Becoming You [detail], 2020. © and courtesy the artist, commissioned by Autograph for Care | Contagion | Community – Self & Other. 3) Cover of Autograph's new anthology Care | Contagion | Community — Self & Other. 4) Othello De'Souza-Hartley, Garden [detail], 2020. From the commission Blind, but I can See, 2020. © and courtesy the artist, commissioned by Autograph for Care I Contagion I Community – Self & Other. 5) Ope Lori, still from The Lines Between Us [detail], 2020. © and courtesy the artist, commissioned by Autograph for Care | Contagion | Community – Self & Other. 6) Othello De'Souza-Hartley, from Absence (triptych) [detail]. From the commission Blind, but I can See, 2020. © and courtesy the artist, commissioned by Autograph for Care I Contagion I Community – Self & Other.
Autograph is a place to see things differently. Since 1988, we have championed photography that explores issues of race, identity, representation, human rights and social justice, sharing how photographs reflect lived experiences and shape our understanding of ourselves and others.
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