
About WE OUT HERE
Exhibition Date: 1st April to 4th June 2023
Wednesday to Sunday 10.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m.
Exhibition location: Hastings Contemporary (HC), Rock-a-Nore Road, Hastings TN34 3DW
Wraparound events and activities happen at HC and various Hastings locations.
WE OUT HERE (WOH) was a groundbreaking exhibition showcasing the work of six Black artists of Caribbean heritage based in Hastings.
The artists created new culturally-specific artworks and collaborated to produce a distinctive, large-scale, multi-media show. Working in different mediums, the themes explored include: migration, Black lives in coastal towns, relationships with the sea, climate justice and racial injustice, fast fashion and the Black presence in crafts.
WOH speaks to and engages with the Black and wider communities in Hastings. Complementing the show in the Foreshore Gallery will be a range of creative activities, events and discussions. We Out Here was complemented offsite with a series of community-based activities and workshops which aimed to encourage art engagement.
The project was led by local artist Lorna Hamilton-Brown RCA MBE – known as the ‘Banksy’ of the knitting world for her use of the medium for social commentary. For WOH, Lorna created a new ‘WE MEK’ knitted magazine cover – The Windrush 75 Issue.
It featured the celebrated author of Small Island, the late Andrea Levy and commemorated the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush carrying passengers from the Caribbean to the UK.
“We Out Here has given me the chance to bring together Hastings-based Black artists who I admire, from a range of disciplines to create an historic exhibition. We have been hidden in plain sight for too long, but WE OUT HERE!”
– Lorna Hamilton-Brown
Artists who took part in the exhibition were:
Link to all audio and video recordings listed below
SoundCloud recordings:
6 Artist Catalogue essays and WOH Artist Paul Hope In Conversation African art collector Robert Mucci.
Video recordings:
WE OUT HERE – All exhibition Artists in conversation held on Saturday 8th April 2023.
WE OUT HERE – Virtual discussion panel with the Heritage Crafts Association Hosted by: Mary Lewis, Endangered Crafts Manager of the Heritage Crafts Association. Held on 26th April 2023.
WE OUT HERE – The Black Presence in Craft discussion led by Rose Sinclair with Lorna Hamilton-Brown, Elaine Mullings, Maggie Scott and Paul Hope. Held on Tuesday 30th May 2023.