The Exhibition Preview and Michael Mansfield's Plea for Political Art
At the preview of the exhibition on December 6th at Tooks Chambers, London, Michael Mansfield QC, made an impassioned speech about the need for political art in Britain. Why, he asked, are political subjects so often overlooked by contemporary artists and the art cognoscenti? Politics is about power and status, issues and principles. Art should be too. Political art should be hard-hitting stuff: it penetrates hearts and minds without sentimentality. Think Picasso's Guernica. But think also of some of our more local greats - Blake, Turner, early Hockney, even Banksy.
The preview was an opportunity to see Ricky's Romain's work mediating the absence of justice in a space that symbolises the fight for it. And lots of people did just that - about 300 in fact, drawing together individuals, groups and organisations for whom art and the absence of justice is central.
Amongst others, Vivienne Westwood and
Simon Israel met with members of Amnesty International, Bail for Immigrant Detainees and ourselves. Characteristically, Dame Viv arrived 'dressed to express'. Conjoining art, fashion and political justice, she sported a large badge with the words, 'I'm not a terrorist, please don't arrest me' and a somewhat ambiguous but conspicuous headband with the word 'Branded' on it, evoking strange word associations with 'bound' and 'tagged'. You expect the art and the fashion. It's the political bit that marked out her personal understanding of what was going on with the art: a potent expression of what this project is all about - art, politics and justice - and the way we receive the message. Professional photographer Andy Aitchison attended the preview and provided these photographs free of charge.
Tooks Chambers
Tooks Chambers are a symbol in which the association of justice, politics and social responsibility are united:
- In the work they do (the Chambers were formed in order to support the Miners' Strike in 1984)
- In their courage in acknowledging that all public acts are in some way political (their uncommon caseload of civil and human rights cases)
- And in their receptiveness to the views of people who actively seek to find different ways of expressing their own pleas for political and social justice.
Tooks host events on a regular basis with a variety of partners. These have recently included:
- Fundraising for the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust and Show Racism the Red Card
- Residencies by the poet, Benjamin Zephaniah (2000) and the artist Sarah Strang (forthcoming)
- Exhibitions, including photography from women in Zanzibar (with cameras sponsored by Tooks) and the present body that forms 'In the Absence of Justice' by Ricky Romain
Doreen Lawrence's book, And Still I Rise is published by Faber & Faber.
Benjamin Zephaniah's collection of poems, which used his residency at Tooks in 2000 as its starting point, is entitled Too Black, Too Strong and published by Bloodaxe.
Richard Wells' book on the complex issues surrounding the mediating role of art will be published by Triarchy Press on 10 th December 2007, Human Rights Day, to complete a year-long cycle of events relating to the Tooks/Romain collaboration.
See more of Ricky Romain's work on The Guardian's Society website/gallery.
© Photographs copyright of Andy Aitchison