The Box joins national 20/20 project aimed at investing in diverse artists
7 June 2023
The Box has joined a national commissioning and network programme that is directly investing in the careers of a new generation of ethnically minoritised and diverse artists.
20/20 is overseen by UAL Decolonising Arts Institute, working in partnership with 20 UK public collections, museums and galleries. The project has been generously supported by a £300,000 grant from Freelands Foundation, a £300,000 grant from Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants Programme and funding from UAL. It was conceived in response to urgent calls for action within arts and culture in the wake of Black Lives Matter.
20/20 pairs 20 artists with 20 UK collections and will result in 20 new permanent acquisitions.
8 artists were announced in September 2021, and their residencies are currently underway. Now, 12 more have been announced – including the artist who will collaborate with The Box.
Sonya Dyer is an artist and writer from London and a Somerset House Studios Resident. Her practice explores where the centre is located within fictional narratives of the future. She was a finalist for the Arts Foundation Futures Award 2021, and is an alum of the Whitney Museum of American Art: Independent Study Program.
The other artists, who work across a diverse range of media, including painting, print, photography, filmmaking, animation, drawing, ceramics, and sculpture, and their collection partners in this second cohort are:
- Jessica Ashman & Bristol Museum and Art Gallery
- Cora Seghal Cuthbert & The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum
- Billy Dosanjh & Wolverhampton Art Gallery
- Adham Faramawy & Kettle's Yard
- Holly Graham & Manchester Art Gallery
- Curtis Holder & Leeds Art Gallery
- Sarah Maple & Bradford Museums and Galleries
- Karen McLean & Walker Art Gallery
- Christopher Samuel & Birmingham Museums Trust
- Zoë Tumika & Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art
- Bindi Vora & Ulster Museum, National Museums, NI
All 12 artists will now undertake 15-month paid residencies hosted by their partner museums, galleries and art collections, and participate in a peer support network, to develop their artistic practice. Each residency will lead to the production of a commissioned artwork that will be acquired for the partner’s permanent collection.
Professor susan pui san lok, 20/20 Project Director and Director of the Decolonising Arts Institute said:
We are thrilled to welcome the second cohort of artists to 20/20. This is an exciting phase in the 20/20 project – our first eight residencies are already in full swing, and it’s been wonderful to support the deepening development of ideas and relationships. We are looking forward to starting journeys with our second cohort of artists, as they delve into collections and help to generate richer understandings of the histories and contributions of overlooked objects and artists in their midst.
Image credits
Header image: Sonya Dyer, 2019, Andromeda Mission: Anarcha Prototype II. Courtesy of the artist.
Article image: Sonya Dyer, 2022, The Betsey-Drake Equation. Courtesy of the artist.