Rosa-Johan Uddoh – Practice Makes Perfect
Also opening today is Rosa-Johan Uddoh’s solo exhibition, Practice Makes Perfect, at Focal Point Gallery in Southend.
Focal Point Gallery is delighted to present the first institutional exhibition of new work by Rosa-Johan Uddoh, an interdisciplinary artist working towards radical self-love, inspired by black feminist practice and writing…‘Practice Makes Perfect’ explores the relationship of childhood education with popular ideas of the British nation, and how this forms British subjects. This develops Uddoh’s practice exploring the effects of black British popular culture on self-formation. Responding to the current debates about black history within the National Curriculum and urban space, Uddoh has approached the creation of new work for this exhibition as therapeutic ‘wish fulfilment’ in a time of uncertainty in education and wider racial tension.
Later this year, Book Works and Focal Point Gallery will publish a book, in partnership with Bluecoat, Liverpool and The Bower, London and designed by Rose Nordin. The book will be Uddoh’s first and comprises a collection of scripts, each aiming to trouble how a particular character in popular culture performs (and produces) ‘Black British’ identity. Presented as scripts, sheet music & instructional worksheets, the reader is encouraged to insert their own experiences and interpretations, in their head or through live performances of their own. Selected texts will also be exhibited as works on paper within the exhibition. The book will be available to pre-order shortly.
Rosa-Johan Uddoh was also recently profiled in Art Monthly, and the interview is now available to read without a paywall.
All images © Rosa-Johan Uddoh, 2020
