Image gallery credits, in order:

1. 'moltings I' & 'moltings II' [knit mohair & steel frame with forged hooks] by Steph Linn
2. 'A BEAUTIFUL KNIFE WHEN ITS TWISTED (AND A BEAUTIFUL CUNT WHEN ITS FISTED)' [ink on paper] by Eli Walkden [slvrfshmetalwlf]
3. 'Dron Ma' [sculpture] by Alimma Aldiyar
4. 'Love & Prosperity [the energies i am embodying]' [digital print] by Alina Abdullahi
5. 'Long Haired Girls' [ceramic sculpture] by Chris Owen
6. 24 Drawings [ink on paper] by Chris Owen
7. 'SISSY ANARCHY' [A1 Poster] by Pierce Eldridge
8. 'Self Portraits' [photographs, hair, lashes, tape, plastic tiara] by Teef Chan
9. 'Would You Be Mad If I Screamed?' & 'Pieta' [oil paintings] by Izzy Mac

 

 

Across-Over-Beyond

Space Station Sixty-Five

14/09/2023 - 14/10/2023

 

In the recent flurry of public conversation, the aftermath of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's and Home Secretary Suella Braverman's divisive and transphobic remarks on transgender identity has brought to light an urgent need: to counter harmful rhetoric and champion the visibility of marginalised voices. In this politically charged atmosphere, the role of artists and curators in dissenting against harmful narratives while amplifying the authenticity and representation of trans experiences becomes even more crucial.

Rabz Lansiquot, a Brixton born and raised multidisciplinary artist, curator, and DJ, as well as the other half of Languid Hands curatorial duo, stands among these figures, channeling their dedication through a multi-faceted practice and their recent curatorship of 'Across-Over-Beyond' as part of the Fringe! queer film & arts festival at Space Station Sixty-Five in Kennington, London (14th September 2023 – 14th October 2023). 

The group exhibition spotlighted the work of emerging Trans+ (trans, non-binary, gender nonconforming and intersex) artists, featuring work by Alina Abdullahi, Alimma Aldiyar, Autojektor, Nathan Beaton, Teef Chan, Sofia Del Carmen, Pierce Eldridge, Parma Ham, Elena Hoskyns-Abrahall, Koumbah Janneh, India Jaggon, Steph Linn, Izzy MacC, George Manhire, Chris Owen, Martha Summers, Tuesday, Avery Worsley, Eli Walkden (slvrfshmetalwlf) and Xiaoqi Yang. Rabz’s commitment to inclusivity and activism in providing a platform for these artists resonates as a resolute response to the need for wider visibility of marginalised communities.

 

 

‘And now rest’ & ‘Bliss’ [oil paintings] by Nathan Beaton

 

'My heart is a blue sea for you, treetop vines meet silver skies' [film] by Chris Owen

 

N: Thank you so much, Rabz, for taking the time to talk about your practice and your recent show ‘Across-Over-Beyond’. I'm truly honoured to have the opportunity to delve deeper into your work as a curator and artist. I absolutely loved the group exhibition and found it incredibly important in its representation and amplification of underrepresented voices within the artistic landscape of today. Could you delve deeper into the motivations and themes underscoring the curation of 'Across-Over-Beyond,' shedding light on the significance of providing a platform for trans+ artists amidst the contemporary socio-political milieu?

 

R: Thank you so much for offering to chat with me! Always a pleasure! I was initially invited by MK, who was director of Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest, to curate an exhibition for the festival’s extended programme. The parameters for it to be a UK-wide open call for Trans+ artists had already been set through Fringe and Space Art, who hosted and supported the show, so I worked out how I wanted to work within that. My curatorial practice is usually as Languid Hands alongside Imani Mason Jordan, and we usually focus on working with black artists & their collaborators, trying to provide a space for them to develop and showcase their work without the pressures of tokenism, instrumentalisation and commercialism.

This was actually my first curated exhibition solo (with much practical and emotional support from Imani!) but I brought a similar approach to it for Trans+ folks in that I wanted the show to demonstrate a real breadth of practices that aren’t just about being representatives of trans experience, but are nuanced and complex and speak to each other as art practice as opposed to just identity. I think it’s easy in times of heightened persecution to just focus on getting a specific message out, and speaking against or in opposition to that persecution, but I’m a bit more interested in speaking to each other, and allowing ourselves as artists to do work that means something to us and speaks to our communities.

 

 

Detail from 'SISSY BOY' [digital print] by Tuesday

 

'Under The Trees of Hampstead Heath, I ate Fei Larm Char Rice' [film installation] by Teef Chan, and 'Bry', Sylk and Juana in the Agave Fields' and 'Jah' [photographic prints] by India Jaggon

 

N: How did the selection process for artists in 'Across-Over-Beyond' unfold, particularly with the involvement of panellists and artists Biogal, Ebun Sodipo, Fritha Jenkins, Sin Wai Kin, and Mercy Moktar. What criteria or considerations were prioritised in choosing the showcased artworks and artists for this exhibition?

 

R: Artists submitted via an open call, which I think can be a great way to reach artists outside of existing networks (as long as the process isn’t too long and arduous for applicants!). They could submit up to 5 works for us to consider, and the works didn’t have to be related to any specific theme. I learned so much about what people are making at the moment, and was introduced to so many artists I’d never come across before, many of whom I’ll continue to follow even though they didn’t get selected for this particular opportunity. The open call ran for just under a month and we were really lucky to receive nearly 200 applications, so the selection process was tough!

I did an initial sweep of all of them and made a shortlist, based more on what practices made sense for the context as opposed to my own opinion on the work, which the panel then took a look at ahead of our selection meeting. Then it was just a case of getting together and chatting about the different artists and the works they’d submitted, discussing what we thought specifically, and thinking also about how the works all come together. There wasn’t much of a specific criteria and we all have quite different perspectives but we did think about trying to make sure the selection represented a good range of mediums and trans identities, as well as having a mis of work that directly spoke to transness, and work that spoke to a range of other aspects of life and thought, as transness isn’t the only thing trans people can think, write, and make work about.

 

 

'Floaters' [film] by Xiaoqi Yang

 

'A BEAUTIFUL KNIFE WHEN ITS TWISTED (AND A BEAUTIFUL CUNT WHEN ITS FISTED)', 'HOT FLOWING', and 'TIT TORTURE'. [Ink on paper] by Eli Walkden [slvrfshmetalwlf] and 'honey on your grave / lem si suma bamel li baay' [Sound Work] by Koumbah Janneh

 

'Love & Prosperity [the energies i am embodying]', 'Mami Wata [the Water Mother, or used to describe a water spirit]' & 'Embrace the Shadow [the shadow side, what we prefer to keep hidden, the other side]' [digital prints] by Alina Abdullahi

 

N: Could you share insights into the curatorial process for 'Across-Over-Beyond'? How did you navigate the curation of the exhibition, especially concerning the number of artists selected and the thematic coherence of their works within the showcase?

 

R: I chose the title of the show by looking into the etymology of the word trans, and liked those particular words as they suggested expansiveness and the radical possibilities that trans identity open up. I also wanted to make sure there were enough artists to give a nice snapshot of the range of practices within the community, but not so many that the works felt crowded. Giving each artist a good amount of space within the gallery was important, so audiences can engage with the work properly. In every exhibition project I’ve worked on I tend to go in with a plan in terms of spacing and grouping which completely goes out the window during install and this was pretty much the same. It’s very much an intuitive process considering how the work should be viewed as how it works with other things in the space, it’s also always collaborative so Imani and the two technicians I worked with fed into the thinking. Even though the budget wasn’t huge it was really important to me that the show had high production value, so the artists feel like their work is really respected.

 

N: What was the experience like in curating and bringing together the diverse range of voices and artistic expressions featured in 'Across-Over-Beyond'? Were there specific challenges or enriching moments during this process?

The most enriching thing was the chats I got to have with the artists, a lot of them said that they’d never been in an all trans show before, and that it felt like a really exciting and important moment for them. That always makes it worth it!

 

'The world letting me in, Finally.' [welded steel sheet] & 'Embodied Image' [acrylic & spray paint on found acrylic panel] by George Manhire, and 'TOOLbelt' & 'Mended Chair' by Martha Summers

 

'Piss Fountain' and 'Hoof' [sculptures] by Parma Ham

 

N: In what ways do you believe exhibitions such as 'Across-Over-Beyond' contribute to challenging established norms and ideologies within broader cultural and societal frameworks?

 

R: I think arts and culture, and representation, do have an impact on the general landscape of society and politics but I don’t like to overstate its impact. Firstly, we know intimately that increased trans representation has also contributed to an uptick in transphobia. The arts aren’t necessarily going to change the laws that oppress people, or even change the deep seated ideologies people carry that manifest in their bigotry.

I think that work should be credited a lot more to grassroots organisers and people doing work within their communities. But I do think consciousness in building is one part of movement building and I think this show mostly does the work of demonstrating that trans people aren’t a monolith in terms of identity but also in terms of creativity, viewpoint and imagination.

 

N: Your collaborative approaches, notably with Languid Hands, are known for amplifying marginalised narratives. Could you elaborate on how these collaborations inform and enrich your curatorial and artistic endeavours?

 

R: My ongoing collaboration with Imani Mason Jordan, which began alongside many other great artists and thinkers with the sorryyoufeeluncomfortable collective and now through our work as Languid Hands, has always had radical and liberatory politics at its heart. Imani’s experience as an organiser around racial justice, drug policy and policing has a huge influence on what we do in both our curatorial work and collaborative art-making, and how we approach it. Thinking about black liberation, trans & queer liberation, and liberation from the capitalist and colonialist systems we live under is the real core of our approach as a collective, but also in other aspects of my work too. Just using the skills I’ve developed to support others in a way that they might not be afforded through more conventional channels is really important to me.

 

 

'The indifference of bystanders (round 2) I am no longer woman or man / I have tasted power' [film] by Koumbah Janneh

 

'everything is ok | an asmr to help you sleep at night' [film] by Autojektor

 

N: Reflecting on 'Across-Over-Beyond,' could you elaborate on the resonance and significance of this exhibition's timing and context in the current political landscape, particularly in light of recent political discussions around transgender identity and visibility?

 

R: Of course, as you’ve mentioned, we are in a political moment in which trans people are being instrumentalised to further right wing agenda’s. Not only are the oppressive and harmful laws and pieces of legislation being suggested and put through and debated, they are being used specifically as a way to garner support for political parties and individuals to divide and stir up the kind of outrage that furthers their careers and gives them access to power.

I think allowing trans people to speak for themselves, rather than be spoken for, is really important, and more specifically, to communicate to each other that we exist, that we are complex and wonderful and creative, and that we aren’t going anywhere is key to just a sense of pride and wellbeing. I like to focus on that aspect more, on what the work can do for those who are marginalised, rather than what it can do to change the minds of those who are committed to misunderstanding and hate.

 

N: How do you foresee the impact of 'Across-Over-Beyond' and similar exhibitions in influencing public discourse and societal attitudes towards the visibility and representation of trans individuals in art and beyond?

I think what’s unique about exhibitions like this is the fact that almost everyone involved, from the organisation of the show to the artists, share multiple identities and lived experiences, and so there’s an approach to the work, and the representation of transness that comes from a more embodied and genuine place. 

I think it supports the argument for people from marginalised communities to be able to frame work in their own way, as opposed to being placed in contexts that can often be cannibalising and alienating. This show wasn’t put together to virtue signal or make an organisation appear progressive, but instead to honour and celebrate the work of trans artists. 

 

N: What has been the feedback or reception for 'Across-Over-Beyond' from both visitors and the artistic community?

 

R: Feedback has been really wonderful! It’s been great to hear from younger artists who visited and felt inspired by the show to further their own practices, and from incredible trans and queer artists who visited the show and shared their excitement at these emergent practices. Friend and legendary photographer Ajamu X said to me at the opening “It’s about time!”, and that was a really affirming thing to hear from someone I respect so much as an artist and organiser.

 

Follow the work of Rbaz Lansiquot here and Nimco Kulmiye Hussein here.

 

 

Credits: 

Across-Over-Beyond: part of Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Festival’s extended programme 

At Space Station Sixty-Five, Kennington, London

14/09/2023 - 14/10/2023

Text and interview by Nimco Kulmiye Hussein

All images courtesy of Rabz Lansiquot

Exhibition curated by artist, curator & DJ Rabz Lansiquot

Open Call panelists Biogal, Ebun Sodipo, Fritha Jenkins, Sin Wai Kin and Mercy Moktar.

The exhibition features work by Alina Abdullahi, Alimma Aldiyar, Autojektor, Nathan Beaton, Teef Chan, Sofia Del Carmen, Pierce Eldridge, Parma Ham, Elena Hoskyns-Abrahall, Koumbah Janneh, India Jaggon, Steph Linn, Izzy MacC, George Manhire, Chris Owen, Martha Summers, Tuesday, Avery Worsley, Eli Walkden (slvrfshmetalwlf) and Xiaoqi Yang.

Across-Over-Beyond was made possible with funding from contemporary art charity, Space Art.

 

Archive piece curated and edited by HÄN in collaboration with Nimco Kulmiye Hussein, January 2024. 

 

12/03/2024