The exhibition in the Courtyard Room at the LCB Depot in Leicester comprises 9 works. They are all quite distinct in terms of technique, but they are connected in terms of the themes and narratives. The overall title of this collection is ‘Change’.
On the left wall, are two banners, are from my ‘Recovered Histories’ Exhibition in 2019. They are drawn from loaned photographic material or are accounts of Bishop Guli’s faith and tumultuous background. The remaining works exhibited deal with the way history shapes the present and how knowing about that history is essential to understand that our world is forever changing as are we. The very idea of change destabilises some people’s world view, creates insecurity and even hatred. Human movement seems to cause the greatest fear that what we have will be taken away from us, that new arrivals unfamiliar with our ‘way of life’ will dilute and destroy what our ancestors have created.
Yet, human history tells us that what we have is an amalgamation, an accumulation of past achievements and setbacks on a global scale. Our lives are shaped by our predecessors and in our relatively brief time on this earth, we help to lay the ground for the next generation to take up the mantle and continue this journey. We are essentially the custodians of a never-ending evolutionary process of change.
Lead image: Drawing in black and white of ‘The Deeper the Roots’
George is one of the Open 33 LCB Showcase winners for 2023/24
