Work by Isle of Wight artist, Joshua Raffell, features in Aspex Portsmouth’s major group exhibition next month.
CLASSifications delves into the complex realm of class and identity, bringing together four local, national and international artists for the first time with a group of new and pre-existing work.
At the gallery, visitors will be immersed in a multi-disciplinary installation encompassing a rich tapestry of often celebratory, explorative and surprising methods to reveal new perspectives on disability rights, the diaspora, craftivism, play, queerness and the family archive.
This expansive exhibition gathers four artists whose work has never been presented together, working with objects to explore how we impart them with meaning and classify them, and in doing so, become a metaphor for how class functions in our society.
The artists
Jasleen Kaur is an artist making with the slurry of life. Raised amidst betrayal, secrecy and banished outsiders, her work is to make sense of what is out of view or withheld. She has been nominated for 2024’s Turner Prize.
Dinu Li was born in Hong Kong and is an interdisciplinary artist working with moving image, photography, sculptural assemblages and performance.
Jamila Prowse is an artist and writer, propelled by curiosity and a desire to understand herself through making. She is an active participant in a rich and growing contemporary disabled artistic community.
Joshua Raffell is an Isle of Wight-based artist from a working class and canal gypsy background. He is a champion of diversity, and his work is influenced by his life experiences.
Thought-provoking
Featuring a collection of thought-provoking object-based works by artists, the exhibition will invite audiences to be amongst these objects, reflecting on the lives they (mis)represent and question how class is embedded, marketed and co-opted by the reigning narratives.
It will further encourage visitors to contemplate what class looks like nationally and internationally? How does class intersect with identity? and how does class affect the way people consume, make and talk about art?
Blanco: An invigorating moment in the gallery’s exhibition history
Aspex Portsmouth Curator and Programme Manager, Ricardo Reveron Blanco, said,
“This is an invigorating moment in the gallery’s exhibition history, as we embark on a season that incorporates works from four artists whose practices and perspectives explore class at the intersection of disability rights, race and the diaspora during a time of severe economic crisis and social disconnection.
“I am particularly delighted that CLASSifications will document the journey for Joshua Raffell who was selected from an open call format for working class artists and will be able to showcase work made during his residency period alongside other acclaimed artists.”
Programme of events
Expanding on the themes of CLASSifications, a specially devised public programme will run throughout the duration of the exhibition.
This bespoke programme of talks, events and participatory activities will delve further into the exhibition’s artists, explore the complexities of an often unspoken, misjudged and neglected issue, and facilitate an open dialogue on how we can come together in building a fairer and more equitable world.
Where and when
CLASSifications, featuring Jasleen Kaur, Dinu Li, Jamila Prowse and Joshua Raffell runs from
19th July to 13th October 2024 at Aspex Portsmouth, The Vulcan Building, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO1 3BF.
Free admission / Donations welcomed. See the website for more information.
News shared by Kirstie on behalf of Aspex Gallery. Ed
