Brighton CCA, the centre for contemporary arts at the University of Brighton, presents works of Malawian artist Billie Zangewa in a solo exhibition titled ‘A Quiet Fire’. Zangewa is known for her intricate figurative collages, made from hand-stitched fragments of raw silk, that challenge the historical stereotypes and beliefs that have been used to objectify and exploit Black women.
Image courtesy of the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong, Seoul, and London
The exhibition will feature a new commission, a new panoramic, narrative silk collage echoing classical frescos and history painting in its format, establishing a reframing of its subject. Some of the featured works were made especially for the solo show and a selection of Zangewa’s earlier works.
Over the last 12 years, her earlier works reflect her practice and experience as a Black woman living in Johannesburg. These early works, described by the artist as acts of daily feminism, show an intimate and confident sense of self and of female identity; domestic and professional personas, inner life and public face. Her autobiographical yet universal work contrasts melancholy with hope, strength with disdain, and independence with prejudice. The exhibition, A Quiet Fire, is a visualization of what the female gaze, through self-portraiture, could look like.
A Quiet Fire has been made possible through the generous support of Lehmann Maupin Gallery. The exhibition opened at John Hansard Gallery on 3 June 2023 and will be on view till 9 September 2023.
Billie Zangewa’s work has been exhibited widely in the United States and Europe. Her work is in several public and private collections including the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY; Centre Pompidou, Paris, France; Harris Museum, Art Gallery & Library, Preston, United Kingdom; Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH; Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston, Boston, MA; Johannesburg Art Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa; JP Morgan Chase Art Collection, New York, NY; Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX; National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.; Norval Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa; RISD Museum, Providence, RI; Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, Atlanta, GA; Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands; and Tate Modern, London, United Kingdom. She is represented by Lehmann Maupin Gallery.
The exhibition is currently on view at John Hansard Gallery, Southampton and it will travel to Tramway, Glasgow later.
