Black History Month Exhibition

One of Dundee’s most popular outdoor spaces has been chosen to host an exhibition of the work of two artists as part of Black History Month.

Slessor Gardens provides the backdrop for work by Claire Yspol and Senanu Tordzro on hoardings surrounding two currently vacant sites in the north east and south west corners.

Cllr Georgia Cruickshank who chairs the cross-party City of Dundee and Black History Working Group visited the site recently to see the work for herself.

She said: “We were delighted to be able to provide such a high-profile site that gets a lot of people walking past it to highlight the creative talents of two black female artists.

“As well as being beautiful and thought-provoking they act as a good way of starting conversations that think about how we can address some of the major issues of our time around race.”

Claire Yspol has created a text-based project engaging with black writer which she calls a “Lyrical Bibliography”. In it she says she foregrounds the intellectual and artistic vision of black creators and that making it was an opportunity to engage more deeply with the work of some of the black writers, designers, thinkers and artists she admires.

A Lyrical Bibliography consists of more than 30 captivating titles referring to equally intriguing exhibitions, essays, poems, podcasts and more. Taken together they form a poetic text of their own which can also be used as a resource to find works by black creators.

Senanu Tordzro’s work reflects her Ghanaian culture and influences. In collaboration with Sustrans she has created a trail along the waterfront of Adrinkra symbols used in Ghana.

Called Adrinkra Way, Senanu is also taking tours along the route where she talks about the meanings behind the symbols and highlights her show.         

Both exhibitions are at Slessor Gardens for the rest of Black History Month, which ends on October 31.

The City of Dundee and Black History Working Group meets regularly to monitor progress and highlight further activities which celebrate the diversity of our city.

Dundee City Council

Dundee draws skilled workers from a 60-minute catchment population of 640,000 and has a local population of over 140,000. The availability of a large pool of highly skilled labour is a key feature in the Dundee economy. Flexibility in the labour force is currently more prevalent in Dundee than in Scotland as a whole. All forms of labour market flexibility - part-time, temporary employment, self-employment and shift work - are widely operational within the city. Labour force stability in the city is excellent, enabling companies to plan with confidence. Labour turnover levels are less than 5% and absenteeism averages 2%.

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