OVERSTAND

OVERSTAND

(Postcolonial Sampler)

A two-person exhibition featuring the work of London-based artists Jaykoe and Neil Kenlock.
Curated by Christina Mitrentse and Jaykoe.

Jaykoe and Kenlock have created a dynamic series of collaborative works for the exhibition, which coincides with Black History Month. Jaykoe has sampled and transposed a variety of images of life in Brixton before, during and after the 1981 riot – including original photographs taken by Neil Kenlock in the 1970s – to create a series of mixed media screen prints. The work forms part of Jaykoe’s research for his upcoming solo show, RADIX, which focuses on the UK riots in 2011.

Kenlock was born in 1950 in Jamaica, moving to Brixton to join his parents in 1963. He went on to work as a staff photographer for one of the first black British newspapers, West Indian World. He spent his career documenting his local community, including the UK Black Panther movement. He later co-founded ROOT magazine in 1979, showcasing black British fashion, as well as Choice FM in 1990, London’s first legal radio station dedicated to black music.

Kenlock’s work documents the history of civil rights struggles in London. His images of British Caribbean residents in Brixton in the late 1960s and ’70s form part of the exhibition at Studio 73, echoing his current display at Tate Britain “Stan Firm Inna Inglan”. He also captured unique images of Jamaican singer Bob Marley at one of his last UK performances in January 1977, at London’s Rainbow Theatre, shown here for the first time as original photographs and sampled to create new works by Jaykoe.

Jaykoe was born in London in 1978. His work encompasses a range of mixing and sampling processes that reference subcultural activities. With his background as a soundsystem DJ, he experiments with techniques used in audio sampling, translating them to the visual realm. He is also informed by the concept of pirate radio, through the notion of networked performances across global cities, constructing spaces of positive interaction between different groups and cultures.

“I am delighted to collaborate with Jaykoe on this exhibition because our works, although they are from different eras, tell important stories about the same community. Overstand is about the people, the struggle and their influence on society.” Neil Kenlock

Download the Press Release (PDF)