Harlesden High Street Gallery Hosts Exhibition on Black Experience and Technology

Harlesden High Street gallery in London presented an exhibition titled 'Harlesden Safari Shop Vol 1: Where Do We Go From Here?' from July 25 to October 10, 2020. Curated by gallerist Jonny Tanna, the show occupied a vacant third-floor office space near Central London protest sites. It featured artists of color exploring black experience and social presence through mixed media. Ibiye Camp contributed 'Polygons + Peels' (2020), painted head portraits with an AR app adding virtual 3D masks, and a video 'Behind Shirley Research' addressing AI facial recognition failures. Clémentine Bedos displayed 'MUCOSA #3', QR code tattoos linking to images of white cultural icons and colonial racism. Emmanuel Awuni's installation 'Exodus' included a tarp-and-timber platform with a dripping bust and clay sculpture. Randa Asma Osman created sculptures from detritus with titles referencing displacement. Farrah Riley Gray's 'Together' featured embroidered figures with hair extensions, depicting intimacy. The exhibition emerged after Black Lives Matter protests, aiming to foster dialogue outside institutional frameworks.