Black Atlantic Museum Digital Project Maps Gilroy's Influence on UK Art
The Black Atlantic Museum is a digital project hosted by the Afterall Research Centre at Central St Martins, part of the University of the Arts London. It runs from 2021 to 2022, thanks to funding from a Digital Project Grant by the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art. Led by Dr. Adeena Mey and Adjoa Armah, the initiative explores how Paul Gilroy's 1993 publication, The Black Atlantic, has influenced contemporary art in the UK. The project highlights art, exhibitions, and political movements related to the 'afterlives of slavery' and integrates ideas from Katherine McKittrick's 'Black Geographies.' It also includes archival research and features online essays and events with Black Studies scholars to provide a new perspective on British art history.
Key facts
- The Black Atlantic Museum is a digital research project based at Afterall Research Centre, Central St Martins, University of the Arts London.
- It is supported by a Digital Project Grant from the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art (2021–22).
- Principal Investigator is Dr Adeena Mey; Researcher is Adjoa Armah.
- The project examines references and influences of Paul Gilroy's The Black Atlantic (1993) in UK contemporary art since the 1990s.
- Gilroy's thesis posits the centrality of the slave trade in Modernity and a dialectic between African and Western cultures.
- The project maps artworks, exhibitions, cultural movements, and socio-political initiatives manifesting 'afterlives of slavery' (Saidiya Hartman).
- The mapping microsite is hosted on Afterall's digital platform Art School.
- Mapping is informed by Katherine McKittrick's concept of 'Black Geographies'.
Entities
Artists
- Dr Adeena Mey
- Adjoa Armah
- Paul Gilroy
- W.E.B. Du Bois
- Saidiya Hartman
- Katherine McKittrick
Institutions
- Afterall Research Centre
- Central St Martins
- University of the Arts London
- Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art
- Afterall
- Art School
Locations
- United Kingdom
- London
Sources
- Afterall —