Alberta Whittle: “Create Dangerously”
By Beth James
Alberta Whittle (b. 1980, Bridgetown, Barbados) is a Barbadian-Scottish artist who lives and works in Glasgow, Scotland. Her work embraces film, collage, performance, and writing. Whittle’s work addresses the brutal reality of living in a world that is steeped in anti-Blackness, which is present in the lingering effects of colonialism and the Atlantic slave trade. While addressing such violent histories (and the present moment), Whittle infuses her art with a message of hope, imagining a world divorced from anti-Black hate – a world that prioritises care and community.
Alberta Whittle, still from Lagareh – The Last Born, (2022). Colour video installation, sound, 43 minutes, steel, shells, beads. Image: Scotland + Venice.
Alberta Whittle, installation view of Lagareh – The Last Born, (2022). Colour video installation, sound, 43 minutes, steel, shells, beads. Image: Scotland + Venice.
We’ve visited one of Whittles previous exhibitions: the exhibition in discussion today is “Create Dangerously” at Modern One, National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh - one of Whittle’s biggest show of solo work to date. The exhibition displays an assembly of Whittle’s diverse media, including her film installation Lagareh– The Last Born (2022), which Whittle presented at the 2022 Venice Biennale. Lagareh – The Last Born is displayed on a screen that is suspended between a metal gate decorated with shells and beads. The gate speaks to boundaries, division and containment, thresholds, spaces in which individuals may gather. It is in this exhibition space that Whittle wishes us to gather and experience her work while crossing a threshold with her. Lagareh – The Last Born, collects and shares moments of intimacy, ritual, and rebellion to express themes of loss, rage and abolition. In an effort to encapsulate the far-flung legacies and effects of colonialism, and the subsequent institutions built upon systemic racism, the film is shot across locations in Italy, England, Scotland, Sierra Leone, and Barbados highlighting the geographic connections rooted in colonialism and the slave trade. Lagareh – The Last Born centres the voices of those so often silenced and erased from history. The voices and experiences of Black and queer womxn are centre, giving them a platform to express their lived experiences across the globe against a background of grief and mourning. As is intrinsic in all of Whittle’s work, the film emphasises the significance of community and the love and care that is essential to resisting anti-Blackness.
Alberta Whittle, Entanglement is more than blood (2022), installation view, tapestry woven at Dovecot studios Edinburgh. Cotton, linen, whaling rope, fishing rope, Venetian trading beads, children’s hair clips, manillas, cowrie shells, steel. Image: Scotland + Venice.
Entanglement is more than blood (2022) is another work by Whittle that was part of the artist’s presentation at the 2022 Venice Biennale. The work consists of a large-scale tapestry mounted on a steel gate structure. The tapestry is rich in Whittle’s signature symbolism, featuring snakes, hands, and diamonds. Again, the use of a gate within the installation speaks to an entrance or threshold, the hands reaching out of the tapestry invite the viewer to enter a portal of Whittle’s making. The tapestry displays themes that are familiar in Whittle’s art – kinship, ancestral knowledge, and the pushing of creative boundaries. The image of Entanglement is more than blood is reflected in Lagareh – The Last Born, strengthening the artist’s desire for the prioritisation of community and remembering the knowledge of those who came before us.
I attended a discussion between Whittle and chief curator of the Modern National Galleries of Scotland, Lucy Askew, last month ahead of the exhibition’s opening. Whittle stated that one of the aims of “Create Dangerously,” was that it was a call to action to creatives – to use creativity to open up conversations around the reality of living in an anti-Black world, to create and care in the face of hate to instil hope in themselves and others. Whittle and Askew worked together to create a space that echoed Whittle’s priority of care and community. Throughout the exhibition there is seating and spaces where one can rest, reflect, and converse with others – spaces that encourage communion.
Alberta Whittle, C is for Colonial Fantasy (2017), C-type digital collage, diasec mounted on aluminium. Image: National Galleries Scotland.
Another topic discussed during the conversation was the urge, and need, to uncover/rediscover alternative forms of knowledge. In response to a Western notion of knowledge, Whittle’s work invites her viewers to uncover forms of knowledge that are part of being human – intuition, creativity, collaboration. These forms of knowledge can be shared and nurtured and are often pushed to the side in favour of knowledge that is aligned with Western systems of power and oppression which continue to perpetuate cycles of hate which result in voices and experiences being silenced. Discussing her work being acquired by the National Galleries of Scotland for the exhibition, “Create Dangerously,” Whittle shared that,
“As a kid on school trips, we often went to museums and I was mesmerised, but I also found myself searching for images and artworks that reflected my family, my history, and my experiences. These acquisitions by National Galleries of Scotland have made me feel optimistic about how conversations are changing and how my work may bring in new young artists who are searching for something that inspires them to think differently.”
“Create Dangerously” can be a beautifully moving and thought-provoking starting point to encourage conversations regarding anti-Blackness and alternative forms of knowledge that are crucial to living in a world that prioritises care.
“Create Dangerously” is on until Sunday 7th January 2024 at Modern (Modern One), National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh. Admission is free.
Bibliography
National Galleries of Scotland. “Alberta Whittle | Create Dangerously.” Accessed April 14, 2023. https://nationalgalleries.org/exhibition/alberta-whittle-create-dangerously.
National Galleries of Scotland. “Alberta Whittle.” Accessed April 14, 2023. https://nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/artists/alberta-whittle.
Scotland + Venice. “Alberta Whittle.” Accessed April 14, 2023. https://scotlandandvenice.com/project/alberta-whittle.
Scotland + Venice. “National Galleries of Scotland acquire two major installations by acclaimed artist Alberta Whittle, ahead of her solo exhibition opening this Saturday.” Last modified March 30, 2023. https://scotlandandvenice.com/news/national-galleries-of-scotland-acquire-two-major-installations-by-acclaimed-artist-alberta-whittle-ahead-of-her-solo-exhibition-opening-this-Saturday.