Aesthetica Art Prize and Film Festival alumni unite in the newest exhibition at the Mercer Art Gallery.
Curated by Cherie Federico, Director of Aesthetica Magazine, Power and Identity unties five female filmmakers working across contemporary themes such as diaspora, nation building, gender and identity politics. Cherie says “The project will resonate with people on many levels. The selected artists are contributing to the global dialogue on how art can help us to make sense of our world. As a collection,
the pieces celebrate female talent and ask important questions about identity and power.”
The films explore themes of colonial legacies, nation building, diaspora, representation and the impacts of war. They reflect the human experience, with moments of joy and euphoria, as well as pain and loss.
The filmmakers selected for Power and Identity have had major success since being presented at
the Aesthetica Art Prize and Aesthetica Film Festival. They have appeared at leading institutions such
as BALTIC, Venice Biennial, Louvre, Bluecoat, MoMA and BFI London Film Festival. These artists are
a prime example of the platform given to emerging talent by Aesthetica’s Art Prize and Film Festival
and, as such, Aesthetica is playing a major role in innovation and talent development. Michelle
Williams Gamaker has won prestigious awards such as London Film’s Jarman Award in 2020,
whilst Rhea Storr was awarded the inaugural Louis Le Prince Experimental Film Prize and Juliana
Kasumu won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Storytelling at AFI Fest 2021.
Aesthetica’s Awards programme opens doors – artists get their work seen by leading curators and gallerists, as well as being programmed at a BAFTA-Qualifying Film Festival and major international
Art Prize. Aesthetica works to spotlight and develop the most innovative talent in contemporary visual culture highlighting the most exciting and progressive artists working today.
Learn more about the exhibited artists and their dynamic films:
Rhea Storr
A Protest, A Celebration, A Mixed Message
Filmmaker Rhea Storr, an artist of British and Bahamian heritage, explores the representation of black and mixed-race cultures in her short film A Protest, A Celebration, A Mixed Message. Storr won the Aesthetica Art Main Prize in 2020 for this film, in which she intersperses contemporary and historical footage of the West Indian Carnival in Leeds. Often working in 16mm film, Storr’s work is concerned with the ability of analogue practices to speak about black and mixed-race identities. Her films have been exhibited around the world including MOCA, Los Angeles; and Somerset House, London.
Juliana Kasumu
“What Does the Water Taste Like?”
“What Does the Water Taste Like?” is a short film directed by Juliana Kasumu (Aesthetica Art Prize Emerging Winner 2021), which explores the production of identity through the lens of the filmmaker’s personal experiences as a British-Nigerian. It combines intimate conversations with archival footage
and contemporary visuals to create a dialogue between the past and present. Kasumu explains that
the film is “an exploration of spaces such as the Black hair salon and the Black church; sites
where people gather and provide one-another a sense of security and familiarity.”
Jasmina Cibic
Tear Down and Rebuild
Jasmina Cibic’s film Tear Down and Rebuild was shot inside the preserved modernist architecture of
the former Palace of the Federation in Belgrade, Serbia. It presents a debate around arguments to rebuild, renovate, or destroy buildings, monuments, and cultural icons that no longer serve contemporary political contexts. Cibic was shortlisted for the Aesthetica Art Prize 2017 and her works have since been displayed across the world, including The Louvre, Paris and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Cibic also won the 2021 Film London Jarman Award in recognition of her unique visual approach.
Manjinder Virk
Out of Darkness
Manjinder Virk’s Out of Darkness explores the experience of death through the eyes of one Aid Worker. The compelling narrative is made up of nine different voices (including Tom Hiddleston and Riz Ahmed), each of whom represents a lost soul who haunts the worker’s conscience. Collectively, the figures tell
a story of what it means to be in the presence of someone’s last moments, from the peaceful passing
of family members to the traumatic injuries of war, and the legacy it leaves on the living. Winner of
Best of Festival and Best Drama at the Aesthetica Film Festival 2013, Virk’s narrative is poignant.
Michelle Williams Gamaker
Thieves
Known for her inventive filmmaking and screenwriting, Michelle Williams Gamaker draws on the classic movies from early Hollywood and British cinema that she watched growing up. Thieves, which won Best Experimental at Aesthetica Film Festival 2023, is a fantasy adventure retelling of The Thief of Bagdad —
a silent, black and white film from 1924, which was remade in colour in 1940. The film displays Gamaker’s filmmaking methodology ‘Fictional Activism’: the restoration of marginalised film stars of colour as protagonists with a voice. These previously diminished figures reclaim the story as their own.
The Mercer Art Gallery, Power & Identity: Five Women Filmmakers continues until 30 September 2024, Mercer Gallery, Harrogate. Free Entry. Find out more.
The Aesthetica Film Festival opens on 6 November and continues until 10 November in York, UK. Discover the best in new independent cinema, VR and games; learn from industry experts, join our workshops and panels. Tickets and passes for Aesthetica Film Festival are available now.
Late Deadline for the Aesthetica Art Prize until 30 September 2024. Join a thriving artists’ community and benefit from the Aesthetica Art Prize. Submit your work and win £10,000, exhibition and publication. Late Deadline until 30 September 2024. Find out more here.
