Estabrak exhibition opens at Ferens Art Gallery
Posted on 25.11.2019
On Sunday 17th November, Ferens Art Gallery hosted Surroundings artist Estabrak for an artist talk to mark the opening of Sea; the remains between. Specially commissioned for the Ferens Centre Court, the exhibition presents Estabrak’s new series of underwater photographs, inviting the viewer to look beneath the surface and to reflect on issues often overlooked and marginalised on dry land.
On arrival to the event on Sunday, everyone in the audience was offered Arabic mint tea and baklava before embarking on a warm-up exercise to encourage the audience to think about how we communicate with one another.
Game time. Science meets Art
Estabrak began with a short talk about the work she has created for the exhibition, and the significant input from various groups from the local communities – many of whom were in attendance at the event. This was followed by another short talk from Jeanette Rotchell, Professor of Aquatic Toxicology at the University of Hull, about the shocking impact of water pollution and ways in which we can try to lessen our own impact.
Estabrak then opened up the conversation to those in attendance, inviting local young poet, artist and psychologist Eugénie Clementine Bweziye to lead in asking questions. The event finished on a musical note with dancing and rhythmic drumming from Siddi, CJ and Happiness. The three performers are musicians and artists from Sierra Leone and Malawi who now live in Hull, and met Estabrak through Hull’s Afro-Caribbean Association and Freetown Society.
Dancing and drumming in the gallery The artist with a local fisherman and diving instructor. Audience interacting with the artwork
The event received a great response from those who attended, many describing the event and the exhibition as informative, thought-provoking and inspiring:
“Incredibly enjoyable but more importantly, informative. Certainly provoked a lot of thought to be had and as well on the beautiful work, the passion and knowledge with which you speak so eloquently was fabulous!”
Sea; the remains between is open until 23 February at Ferens Art Gallery in Hull.
This commission is part of Surroundings, a three-year programme about environmental themes, produced by Humber Museums Partnership and Invisible Dust, and funded by Arts Council England and the Wellcome Trust.