I visited The Past Is Present exhibition at Poole Lighthouse yesterday. It’s curated (and mostly created) by the Dorset artist Sharon James.
From the website:
The Past is Present encompasses visual art, film, writing and textiles with the intention of opening up a broader conversation about history, memory, and identity. Exploring heritage, identity, and lived experience alongside African textiles rich in symbolism, the exhibition weaves past and present into a bold, visually compelling dialogue on legacy and meaning.
The work that spoke to me most, unsurprisingly perhaps, was the collection of drawings and paintings by Sharon, under the title Blackground, that speak about her experience of being Black in the UK in general and Dorset in particular. It’s powerful work and profoundly affecting.
Sadly it’s not on for much longer but if you get a chance to visit before it closes on Saturday 31 October I highly recommend it.
