Next We Change Earth

Group show at New Art Exchange. 2008
Date: 6 September, 2008 until 26 October, 2008
Curator: David Schischka Thomas/Michael Forbes
Organiser: New Art Exchange

Curated by  David Schischka Thomas and Michael Forbes, Next We Change Earth was the inaugural exhibition of New Art Exchange, a new visual arts space that opened in Hyson Green, Nottingham in the autumn of 2008. The dates of the exhibition were 6 September - 26 October 2008 and the exhibition included work by Forbes himself, plus Said Adrus, Elshaday Berhane, Dubmorphology with Gary Stewart, Trevor Matghison/Obinna Nwosu, Samson Kambalu, Harjeet Kaur, Hetain Patel, Keith Piper, Narir Tambouli, and Andrew Wright. The title of the exhibition came from a work by Kambalu in which he created anagrams of the words The New Art Exchange. The exhibition featured artists all of whom had connections to the city of Nottingham.

The exhibition came with a substantial catalogue, with contextualising essay by Eddie Chambers and extensive reproductions of artists’ work. From the catalogue: “This exhibition, a bold and unique undertaking, features contributions from a range of artists with past, present or ongoing links to the city of Nottingham… When credible histories of black visual arts activity in England come to be written, Nottingham will be cited and acknowledged as having played an important role in these narratives. Central to this role has been the part played by various artists, organisations and individuals concerned with the practice and profile of black artists’ work in the city over a period of several decades. Another important factor central to Nottingham’s role in these narratives has been Trent Polytechnic (as it was, prior to becoming Nottingham Trent University) in offering places on its Fine Art degree course to students such as Said Adrus, Keith Piper, from the early 1980s onwards, through to enrolment and graduation by black students in more recent years.”

From the curators’ foreword: “I first came up with the concept of Next We Change earth, whilst researching  a period in the history of Nottingham and its relationship  with artists like Keith Piper, Donald Rodney and said Adrus. These pioneering artists are important historical figures within the British ‘Black Arts movement’. (David Schischka Thomas). “I do not want to get lost in concepts and academic theories about the work in the exhibition, for me when selecting artists for any show my main criteria is the quality, aesthetic and emotional effect of the work in a gallery space.” (Michael Forbes).

»  Next We Change Earth

Catalogue relating to an exhibition, 2008