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Black Joy Panel:
Looking Forward with Young Artists

When: Sunday 23 June 2024

Time:  2-3pm

Where: Durbar Hall, Hastings Museum and Art Gallery, Bohemia Road, TN34 1ET

Free, no reservation required but arriving on time will ensure you get a spot

We are delighted to announce our collaboration with Sanctuary Festival to present a panel discussion featuring three emerging artists showcased in our 'BLACK JOY! Up Close and Personal’ exhibition.


Featuring the artists Fatima Esayli, Gabrielle Anderson and Rahim Amartey, this insightful conversation will be hosted by the curator of the exhibition, Lorna Hamilton-Brown. Together they will delve into how the migration backgrounds of these artists have influenced their artistic creations, and how the concept of 'our home' serves as a guiding force in their creative practice.

Hastings Sanctuary Festival is an annual event held in June at the end of Refugee Week.  It is a celebration of community and solidarity with refugees and anyone seeking sanctuary in our town. Check out their website for all the details about what else is happening on the day.

For Access Information on the venue visit their website

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Fatima Esayli is a self-taught artist who discovered her passion for painting and drawing at a young age. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Interior Architecture.  

There are a few things that bring her endless joy: her family, art and dance. She likes to share her passion for art and create art that inspires others. 

Her creative work includes drawing, painting, model making, digital illustration and  architecture. She is excited to bring my unique blend of skills and experience to a new  challenge, when she can continue to drive success, and make a meaningful impact.

About Fatima Esayli

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Gabrielle Anderson, immigrated to the UK from Jamaica at 11, has always been passionate about art, using it as a form of self-expression since childhood. Her works reflect her emotions rather than aiming for accuracy, often exploring distortion and masking. As a process-driven artist, Anderson enjoys experimenting with different materials to realise her visions. Recently she's been exploring dual identities, inspired by W.E.B. Du Bois' concept of double consciousness and how it relates to personal adaptation in different surroundings.

About Gabrielle Anderson

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Multi-disciplinary mixed media contemporary artist Rahim Amartey's explores identity, humanity, spirituality and connection to an individual and collective ancestral heritage.

He has introduced the use of natural materials into his works, more recently using sand in screen-print portraits all sourced and flown from Ghana where he originates. This tangible link to his homeland serves as an important connection to the artist's heritage. It can also be derived that the interplay of opposing textures, materials and colours in each work can be seen as a comment on his experience as a young West African immigrant finding a place in his local community both as a child and then young adult a juxtaposition of difference, assimilation, and similarity all at once.

About Rahim Amartey

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Lorna Hamilton-Brown MBE RCA is a UK-based artist working with social practice and community based art. She is known as the ‘Banksy’ of the knitting world for her use of the medium for social commentary. She has a MA in Knitted Textiles from the Royal College of Art, London. 


Since 2021 she has been curating successful exhibitions, including Thread Contemporary Textile Exhibition , Elysium Gallery, Swansea 2021; Playing the Race Card 2022 Exhibition, St Leonards; WE OUT HERE, Hastings Contemporary 2023; and Lasting Impression, Surface Design Association 2023 International Exhibition in Print.

About Lorna Hamilton-Brown

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