Amartey Golding's exhibition Bring Me To Heal is opening at 198 on Thursday 17 March 2022

What does a children's story tell us about pain and compassion in human nature? Bring Me To Heal is a new exhibition by Amartey Golding combining two short films, photography and a handcrafted garment that sheds light on generational trauma in Britain. Turning to his Anglo-Scottish and Ghanaian ancestry by way of a Rastafarian upbringing, Golding creates dream-like spaces, steeped in historical references that bridge the aspects of his mixed heritage and offer collective rituals of healing.

A centrepiece of the commission is an ornate hand knotted garment made of human hair that has been intricately designed by Golding in collaboration with the Shepperton Wig Company and hair artist Kevin Fortune using a pattern that blends references from Afro hair styles to the body art of ancient Britons. 

The garment is brought to life when worn by Amartey's brother, Solomon Golding. We follow the character through film and photography as he is nurtured into existence by a group of three nomadic storytellers in the English countryside and brought to a point of reckoning with Britain's violent past within the opulence of the VandA museum. Born from a lengthy process the garment becomes a symbol of care. Using the hair of potentially thousands of people, each strand was hand knotted and tended to by a group of makers in the name of collective healing.

A short documentary on the making of the exhibition is shown in the gallery downstairs, unwrapping the depth of research and skill that has gone into this extraordinary collaboration.

The Bring Me To Heal UK tour is presented by Forma Arts and Media with partners Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts in Brighton, Tramway in Glasgow and 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning in London.

Others Details

Category: Arts | Visual Arts | Galleries / Art