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Curated by Mark Sealy, Renée Mussai and Bindi Vora
Initiated during the first months of lockdown in 2020, Autograph commissioned ten UK-based creative practitioners to create new work in response to the wider contexts of the Covid-19 crisis. The interdisciplinary artworks they produced represent thoughtful reflections on changing conditions of existence: generous invitations for us to think about what it means to be human and to care for one another.
Using primarily photography and video, the artists reflect both carefully and critically – and often very personally – on the impact of the pandemic, exploring ideas of loss, family, home, belonging and diaspora while considering different lived experiences, and the inevitability of change.
Autograph's curatorial team spent a year working closely with the artists to support the creation of new work. We also invited ten writers – each paired with one of the artists – to produce a short essay reflecting on these artworks, and conducted a series of interviews with each artist about their practice. The commissions reflect Autograph’s long-standing mission, advocating for photography and film to address the visual politics of rights, race and representation.
The artists involved in Care | Contagion | Community were: Mohini Chandra, Poulomi Desai, Joy Gregory, Othello De'Souza-Hartley, Sonal Kantaria, Ope Lori, Dexter McLean, Karl Ohiri, Silvia Rossi, Aida Silvestri.
The writers were: Raymond Antrobus, Krasimira Butseva, Anthony Downey, Loren Hansi Gordon, Sushma Jansari, Dave Lewis, Tarini Malik, Anne McNeill, Lola Young, Campbell X.
Commissioned to create new work during this critical time
Including photography, film and more
Commissioned to produce texts as part of the project
Autograph has published an accompanying anthology, featuring all artist commissions and texts
A group exhibition of this work was first held at Autograph's gallery in London and toured to Impressions Gallery in Bradford
In March 2021, we launched the artist commissions and texts online to mark one year since the first national lockdown
Artworks from the commissions are now part of Autograph's collection of photography
We collaborated with Photo Australia on PHOTO LIVE, featuring five artists from the project
The exhibition was featured in the Guardian and Forbes
Offering a visual mediation on ideas of place and belonging during the global pandemic.
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Considering how we might attempt to control the uncontrollable.
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A diary-like series of photographic and textual fragments drawn from daily encounters during lockdown.
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Reflections on the notion of stillness, loss and how to navigate grief.
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Considering what 'home' might mean during a global pandemic and how it relates to cultural heritage.
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A performative exploration centred on a shared lineage of philosophy between father and daughter.
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The artist reflects on the impact of Covid-19 on the community that surrounds him.
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Exploring the human condition and the different social functions of art.
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Reflecting on the absence of touch and the structures we build to protect ourselves.
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Exploring the impact of Covid-19 on frontline workers of colour, linking the present with the past.
View the commission The ten artists’ work was brought together for the first time in a group exhibition at Autograph’s gallery in Hackney, which was on display 23 September 2021 - 12 February 2022. The exhibition, which was curated by Renée Mussai, Mark Sealy and Bindi Vora, also toured to Impressions Gallery in Bradford. Watch a film featuring the exhibition curators and artists.
Available from Autograph's gallery and our online shop.
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Banner image: Poulomi Desai, from the commission Our cultures are the portals - the gateways between one world and the next, 2020. © and courtesy the artist, commissioned by Autograph for Care | Contagion | Community – Self & Other.
Commission images, all © and courtesy the artist, and commissioned by Autograph for Care | Contagion | Community – Self & Other: 1) Mohini Chandra, film still [detail] from the commission Belated, 2020. 2) Poulomi Desai, [detail] from the commission Our cultures are the portals - the gateways between one world and the next, 2020. 3) Joy Gregory, [detail] from the commission Madam Photo, 2020. 4) Othello De'Souza-Hartley, from Absence (triptych) [detail]. From the commission Blind, but I can See, 2020. 5) Sonal Kantaria, Ghar I [detail]. Film; 1 minute 16 seconds. From the commission Ghar, 2020. 6) Ope Lori, film still [detail] from the commission The Lines Between Us, 2020. 7) Dexter McLean, Kamahl [detail]. From the commission Untitled, 2020. 8) Karl Ohiri, = [detail]. From the commission Equation for Humanity, 2020. Digital Black & White Fiber-Based Gloss Prints, each 12 x 16 in. 9) Silvia Rosi, [detail], from the commission Neither Could Exist Alone, 2020. Archival giclée prints, each 8 x 8 inches. 10) Aida Silvestri, A Great Leveller [detail]. From the commission Contagion: Colour on the Front Line, 2020.
Book: Cover of Autograph's exhibition anthology Care | Contagion | 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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