Considering Art : Considering Realities | Barbara Walker MBE

Barbara Walker MBE, is a British artist based in Birmingham in the UK. Her work is informed by the social, political and cultural realities that affect her life and the lives of those around her. Growing up in Birmingham, her experiences have directly shaped a practice concerned with issues of class and power, gender, race, representation and belonging. Her figurative drawings and paintings tell contemporary stories hinged on historical circumstances, making them universally understood and reflecting a human perspective on the state of affairs in her native Britain and elsewhere.

In this tour we embark on some close looking. Together we ask: What do you see?

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Oh, Hi. We are Considering.Live™ - a new LIVE arts and cultural engagement platform that's as unique as you are. Join us! Unlike a typical museum / gallery tour, here at CL - it's not really about us, we are more interested in you.

Your ideas.
Your way of seeing.
Your thinking.

Never repeated and uniquely yours, our interactive and explorative video tours last typically 90 mins in duration, and are facilitated LIVE by your very own 'museum' guide. Cool right?

With a keen focus on contemporary art, together we aim to explore some of the most pressing issues of today - bringing thoughts, feelings, and observations into a lively and sometimes challenging exchange.

Developed in collaboration with a team of NYC art world professionals, in response to COVID 19 closures, we are super excited to welcome you into our global community as we join each other on this exciting journey.
Let’s do this... why not book a free tour today?

Once registered, your unique and direct link to our Zoom viewing / meeting room will be provided - keep an eye out for an email from us.
Closed Captioning will be provided.

We look forward to seeing you soon.
Until then, stay creative and keep asking questions.
Team Considering.Live™

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About the artist: Referred to by the art historian Eddie Chambers as “one of the most talented, productive and committed artists of her generation”, Walker makes portraits in a range of media and formats, from small embossed works on paper to paintings on canvas and large-scale charcoal wall drawings. Her works depict subjects who are often cast as minorities, inviting the viewer to look beyond the anonymising act of categorising or classifying citizens. Her pictures make visible the lives of others, and address the allusions associated with the labels conferred upon people by society.

The issues of belonging, power, visibility, and representation are central to Walker’s practice. She often references public archives to create works that effectively transfer visibility back to the subject, offering an alternative and balanced interpretation of a nation’s history. The narrative of national heritage, presented through public collections, is informed by acquisitions and the collecting rationale of privileged individuals throughout history; Walker works to disrupt these limited and often skewed standpoints, and through her pictures introduces opportunities for the contemporary viewer to consider other perspectives beyond that of the powerful institution.

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About your facilitator: mark develops and produces access platforms/ programming and communities with a view toward activating art as a tool for positive political, economic and social change.

To date, their work guides cultural strategy and planning at Arts Council UK, the British Broadcasting Corporation (History, Learning and Radio), the Beaney Museum, Canterbury City Council, GOV.UK, Kent County Council, the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Tate Galleries (Modern and Britain), Artists Space, Bureau of General Services Queer Division, The LGBT Community Center NYC, MAPP International, The New School, The New York Public Library, Village Alliance Inc, International Olympic Committee, and the Tokyo 2020/21 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Mark is a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community.

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Time: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm