22 December 2023
2023 Exhibitions Retrospective
In 2023 Metroland’s gallery was kept busy hosting shows from a myriad of incredible artists. Take a look back at our year in exhibitions…
AWRC x Amanda Camenisch and Therese Westin
20 January – 10 March 2023
Making The Room Sing, a commission by artists Amanda Camenisch and Therese Westin was developed in collaboration with a group of women from the Asian Women’s Resource Centre (AWRC) based in Harlesden, Brent.
Working with sound, textiles, sculpture and poetry as art-making and healing practices, Camenisch and Westin developed collaborative projects that centre the experiences of its participants through a trauma-informed approach.
Loops Made 2 Hold Us // Take Care 2gether.wav
15th & 16th July 2023
Loops Made 2 Hold Us // Take Care 2gether.wav was an exhibition that brought together the collective offerings from the inaugural group of Brent-based artists from Metroland’s Peer-to-Peer programme.
The exhibition was a family portrait, reflecting the 20-week period of artist development that took place over the Brent Biennial 2022
The exhibition featured new and existing works by artists: Ocean Baulcombe-Toppin, Bediah, Bill Daggs, Dita Hashi, James Jordan Johnson, Nilik Khimani, Becky Lyon and Yasmin Nicholas.
We Were Here – MYA 2023
6th – 13th Aug 2023
We Were Here was a cumulative showcase of sound and visual artworks, conceived and curated entirely by the 2023 MYA group. The MYAs designed their exhibition to share the work and collaborative practices that they had developed throughout the course of the programme. You can read all about the 2023 MYA programme and the journey the Young Associates took to creating their exhibition on the MYA 2023 archive page.
Sometimes I live in a Shell
19th – 27th August 2023
‘Sometimes, I Live In A Shell’ was a mixed media exhibition created by artist Yasmin Nicholas. The show delved into the complexities of black womanhood through a collection of diary entries.
The work sought to offer a nuanced and personal portrayal of the black female experience. It reflected both the struggles and joys of navigating a world that often fails to understand – or appreciate – the perspectives of black women.
Allegorhythms
8th – 24th Sept 2023
In September, Artist Bill Daggs took over Metroland Studios’ gallery, creating a space for listening, rest, and meditation.
This music and sound-based commission was part of Collective Rhythms, a summer of music, sharing the sound of Brent. Combining handmade sound sculptures, rhythmic paintings, sonic compositions, and a collection of moving image work. Alongside these were meaningful items from Bill’s family home and his formative years in Brent. The installation aimed to create a space focused on supporting healing and relaxation through listening.
Alongside the exhibition was a curated series of events including an artist talk with Abbas Zahedi, a screening of artist Bill Daggs’ film works, and a live music event with inviting a plethora of guests, musicians, poets, and artists.
You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but not the ripples of the time – Amanda Camenisch and Terese Westin
29th Sept – 8th Oct 2023
For this exhibition artists Amanda Camenisch and Therese Westin created 5 large sound sculptures. The artworks were housed inside Metroland’s gallery space, for people to come in and play and listen to.
The exhibition offered a space for people to write down their anecdotes, wishes, hopes and desires for Kilburn. This gallery show was paired with a performance artwork by the artists, dedicated to the lost Westbourne River.
Send to Print: A Dispatch from the OOMK Archive
14th – 29th October 2023
Send to Print: A Dispatch from the OOMK Archive, was an evolving exhibition that celebrated over a decade of printed matter, zine-making and artistic collaborations by the publishing collective OOMK Zine.
The show explored a roundabout journey in DIY publishing, from the early 2010s to the present day. It took OOMK’s base in South Kilburn Studios in 2013 as a loose starting point. Visitors explored existing publications and projects, ephemera, original artwork, collaborations and internal communications.
I am sure, Circumsure – Arsalan Isa
4th – 19th November 2023
A personal show about the titillating world of male circumcision. With 80s love songs, velcro, Frank Ocean and DIY kits.
Arsalan Isa’s first solo show was the artist working through his own cuts and personal memories, searching for what it means to stick together. The exhibition opened with a dance performance by Arsalan Isa and Krystyna & Sabina which explored the topics of bio-ethics, dissociation and somatic exclusion.
Soft-Tissue: Feeling-through precarious times – Squishy Collective
25th Nov – 10th December 2023
For their exhibition Soft-Tissue: Feeling-through precarious times, the Squishy Collective curated a circle of sensory sculptures, materials, films, sounds and texts that offered and opened up gestures, rituals and ideas for navigating precarious times.
Alongside the exhibition the artists curated an accompanying programme of events and gatherings which invited participants into a world of tactile and sensory exploration. Amongst these were an Air-tasting workshop, Photographic divining, and Intestinal knitting. You can learn more in the retrospective article about this exhibition.
Thank You!
We would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who contributed to this year’s gallery programme: artists, staff, friends, and supporters.
Other News…
With Us All – Sufra and Sean Roy Parker
A glasshouse commissioned for a community garden in the heart of the St. Raphael estate
Squishy Collective at Metroland Studios
Read about the takeover of the Metroland gallery by the Squishy Collective and the tactile and sensory explorations they’re undertaking.
Metroland’s first ESEA Heritage Month – Looking Back
Hear about Metroland’s first ESEA Heritage event and how it went from Annie Jael Kwan, Curator of the Brent Biennial 2025.