Alberta Whittle took a while to get to the Venice Biennale with her film, Lagareh - The Last Born. Originally commissioned before the world closed down due to the pandemic, Lagareh finally made the trip as part of the Barbados born, Glasgow based artist’s deep dive(pause) uncoiling memory exhibition that formed the Scotland + Venice 2022 programme. Focusing on Scotland’s connections to the Transatlantic slave trade as well as more contemporary losses of Black lives to racist violence, Lagareh has now come home, as Whittle’s labour of love tours cinemas for a series of screenings that began in September.
“This is the film I've wanted to make for a long time,’ says Whittle of Lagareh. “I arrived in the UK the year Stephen Lawrence was murdered, and that always stayed with me. I remember when Sheku Bayoh lost his life, how that shook me even further, and for a long time, I wanted to find some way to really speak of these groundbreaking moments that shake you to your core.’
With Whittle’s film, tapestry and sculptural output acclaimed in Scotland and elsewhere, Spring 2023 sees a major overview of her work set to be held in Edinburgh at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.
“It's the biggest show I've ever done,’ Whittle says. “It's absolutely terrifying, but I'm so excited, because you don't often get to see a full spectrum of your work together.’
This is vindication for Whittle’s advocacy of the Black experience through her art.
“I've been doing work about decolonial practices and abolition for a really long time,’ she says, “and I have really noticed the conversation change from when I first started making this work. People were like, why are you talking about this, and said that no one would be interested. Now, I've really seen the conversation move on, and I think there's a greater sense of self-reflection that is possible. So I am optimistic. I think we have to just hold on to hope, and really think about these ideas in a very loving and critical way.’
Lagareh can be seen at Mareel, Shetland Arts, Lerwick, 27thNovember; Broadford Village Hall, Isle of Skye, 11thFebruary 2023; Ayr Town Hall, 1stMarch 2023.
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