Featuring artists whose works redefine self-perception, the exhibition challenges monolithic representations of identity by showcasing the depth and richness of Black identity through explorations of heritage, materialism, fluidity, mythology, and form.

On View: October 5 – 14, 2024

Creative agency 1897 launches the 1897 Gallery with ‘Freedom in Multitudes’. In a profound interrogation of identity, the African Diaspora, and the enduring legacies of colonialism, the exhibition will bring together nine artists living across Japan, Nigeria, England, and the US whose works unveil the complex nuances of self-perception, transcending external expectations and societal limitations. Exhibited collectively for the first time, works on paper, sculptures, installations, paintings and photographic works will be on view at 32 Connaught Street in London, from October 5 – October 14, 2024. 

Initiated by 1897 founder Sosa Omorogbe, the 1897 Gallery empowers the expansion of an unexpected, manifold conversation on the legacy of colonialism and its impact on modern identity. Marking the first show of a series of exhibitions that will be presented in 2025, ‘Freedom in Multitudes’ transcends 1897 Gallery’s curatorial concept inspired by W.E.B. Du Bois's theory of double consciousness, which he describes as “always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others.” In conversation with Du Bois, the exhibition investigates the feeling of always looking at oneself through one’s own eyes – a single-consciousness, where one’s self-image is formed of the knowledge and perception of what lies within, not as a factor of an existence as “other”. Moving beyond traditional figuration of bodies, the featuring artists recognize the complex amalgam that is a human being, unifying rather than fragmenting its nuances through visual representations that reflect the freedom and fluidity of existing across multitudes.

A common way to understand the multitudes within is by using one’s heritage as a lens to examine the present and forecast the future. Exhibiting collage works for the first time, artist Anne Adams navigates her identity as a sum of past, present and future, interrogating hybridity and reflecting on the nuances of identity within a post-colonial, post-human and post-feminist framework. Lineage and heritage also play a key role In Nola Ayoola’s work, paying homage to traditional African craftsmanship practices, uncommon in contemporary fine art. Ayoola’s works document the human experience using organza and cotton to form multidimensional, layered works that depict the threads of one’s life weaving into one interlocked, unified whole.  For artists Afeez Onakoya and Ousmane Bâ, traversing the scope of one’s identities takes place through the manipulation of traditional figuration. Bâ’s influences span his existence as a Fulani Senegalese-Guinean living and working in Japan. Employing Nihonga, a traditional Japanese painting technique, Bâ’s figures resemble sculptures in motion, coming to life against a backdrop of washi paper collage. Like Bâ, Onakoya employs traditional methods to achieve unconventional results. His mastery of charcoal and figuration transcends established boundaries to create dynamic compositions of contorted, kinetic bodies – visual poems of bodies existing in a liminal space. 

Rich in both materiality and concept, the artworks serve as vessels that explore the boundaries between the individual and collective experience, offering layered insights into the complexities of the Black and African existence in the modern world. 1897 Gallery enables a nomadic, fluid space where cross-cultural narratives can unfold with depth and nuance and claim cultural influence in an interconnected global landscape.