Ink and Blood: Stories of Abolition / Challenging Histories

'Ink and Blood: Stories of Abolition' was a special exhibition to mark 10 years of the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool, England.

The press release declared the museum's intention to,

'explore abolition (the ending of slavery) and reveal the lives, losses, and triumphs of the people it affected in the 18th and 19th centuries and their later freedom...

...[the exhibition] will show abolition up close through ink (paper) and blood (people), revealing personal stories from Argentina, Cuba, Jamaica, the United States and Bahrain, through powerful modern creative responses to abolition, significant historical documents and rare objects...

...Highlights of Ink and Blood include... an artwork called UK Diaspora by Black British artist Kimathi Donkor...' (ISM, 2017)

The press release also included the following statement by Kimathi Donkor,

“In 2007, as we remembered Parliament’s abolition of the UK slave trade, I wondered if glamourous movies about Queen Elizabeth I, or portraits of George Washington on the dollar bill, made us forget how they and others masterminded slavery? As a person of both African and Jewish heritage, I wondered what I’d think if Germany tried to put Hitler on the Euro? So, in UK Diaspora, alongside Washington’s portrait, I’ve included things like his call for help in recapturing those who escaped his private slave-labour camp (which, at first, was part of Britain’s empire). My intention with these unusual juxtapositions is to question how historic images and institutions shape the perceptions of contemporary society.”

UK DIASPORA
UK Diaspora (2007) is an assemblage of 10 works on canvas designed to be installed so that when placed in a specific pattern the whole resembles a map of Great Britain. Each canvas includes one or more painted or photographic portraits of people connected to slavery and colonialism—either by profitable involvement, or other forms of legacy (including critique). Also attached to each canvas are various 'shrine objects' with symbolic resonance, such as toy boats, texts and sweets. The stretcher frame of each canvas is pierced with multiple nails and screws, reminiscent of sacred 'minkisi' artefacts. Each canvas has its own title, listed below:

'I Give You'
'Cape Coast Castle Deeds'
'Karl and Adam’s Big Ideas'
'Ran Away By George'
'Drake-u-liar'
'Elizabeth Rex Lives'
'Arise Sir John'
'Sands I'
'Sands II'
'Slaving Celebs'

EVENTS PROGRAMME
The programme for 'Ink and Blood' included a gallery talk by the artist as part of the museum's International Slavery Remembrance Day events on 23rd August. The talk was videoed by the museum and shared on its website and via Youtube (see link below). On 15th April, 2018, Donkor led a Creative Workshop at the museum, exploring 'UK Diaspora'.

PERMANENT DISPLAY
CHALLENGING HISTORIES: COLLECTING NEW ARTWORKS

'UK Diaspora' had been acquired by the museum through the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2017 (Accession number ISM.2017.10.5). So when 'Ink and Blood' came to an end the artwork remained on display in its specially constructed cabinet as part of a new long-term display called 'Challenging Histories: Collecting New Artworks', which continued until the planned closure of the museum for essential maintenance in January 2025. For 'Challenging Histories', the museum also created a virtual tour, enabling online visitors to explore the space and artworks remotely (see links below).

PRESS & MEDIA
Writing about 'UK Diaspora' has appeared in several publications, including in 2017, a detailed analysis by Marie-Celeste Bernier in Nka: Journal of Contemporary African Art (see below for details).

• Organisation
• Organisation
• Author
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX12STkw...
• https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/virt...
• https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=PN8cbd...
• https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/sear...
• http://www.catalystmedia.org.uk/archive/...
• https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=xcvA...
• https://www.artrabbit.com/events/hawkins...
• https://www.london-se1.co.uk/whatson/eve...
• https://www.antislavery.nottingham.ac.uk...