Black Dots in White Boxes

3 Mar 2017

What does it mean to be a female curator of colour? What does it mean to curate from the 'black' female body? How does one navigate the politics inscribed in the body? In response to the current Helen Johnson exhibition Warm Ties, Black Dots in White Boxes brings together four curators to catalyse a critical discussion examining ‘blackness’ in the curatorial.

This workshop addresses questions of diversity within the institution, the complexities of imposed and inherited tokenism, and the invisibility of women curators of colour. Curated by ICA Student Forum member Kefiloe Siwisa with panellists Imani Robinson, Nicole Crentsil, Tamar Clarke-Brown and Thandi Mbire.

Join us after the panel for further discussions in the ICA Café Bar.

Speaker biographies

Tamar Clarke-Brown

Tamar Clarke-Brown is a London-born and based curator, critic and creator. She completed her MFA in Curating from Goldsmiths, University London and her research is focused on digital culture, media arts and black diasporic practice. She is interested in developing projects with the potential for greater connectivity, access and critical investigation through experimental use of technology. Tamar is co-founder of collective BetaBabes and a contributor to Screenshot Magazine. Recent projects include A Moving Image that premiered at LA Film festival and BFI London Film Festival, embassyHACK, an exhibition at the Government Art Collection, An Improvement, an event exploring gentrification and race, and #BlackmendreamLDN.
Nicole Krystal Crentsil

Nicole Crentsil is a Ghanaian-born London-based curator, facilitator, designer and artist. She completed her BA in Production Design from Nottingham Trent University and is a Brand and Marketing Executive and founder-curator of Unmasked Women, a platform and exhibition channeling the Black British female experience through creatives, with a focus on mental health and well-being within black communities. Her aim is to find collaborative methods to create spaces for BAME communities in the arts. Recent projects include an exhibition at the V&A, a panel discussion at Tate Britain and a lecture at TEDxUCLWomen.
Thandi Mbire

Thandi Mbire is a Canadian-born Ugandan based in London. She completed her Diploma in Curating and MA in Digital Media from Goldsmiths University London and her research interests primarily focus on the possibilities and limitations of the intersection between technology and culture, with an emphasis on East Africa. Recent projects include Making Memeries, a collaboration between Self Publish Be Happy, Reify and Tate Modern and #BlackmendreamLDN, a panel tackling contemporary black masculinity. She has also contributed to curatorial projects at Tiwani Contemporary, the Zabludowicz Collection and Yinka Shonibare’s Guest Projects. Mbire is currently developing research on the effect social media engagement had on the the 2016 Ugandan presidential election.
Imani Robinson

Imani Robinson is a London-born and based British-Caribbean, African-American organiser, facilitator and writer. Her work focuses on resisting anti-Black racism, and further extends to issues concerning black feminist liberation, LGBQTNI+ rights and decolonial environmental politics, building radical consciousness through movement-building, art, education and dialogue. She channels her work through Black Lives Matter UK and sorryyoufeeluncomfortable, a collective that uses art practice to interrogate dominant discourses. Robinson is also a contributor to Huck and Ceasefire Magazine.