“Home” can be defined as a lot of different things for a lot of different people.
Some attach the idea of home with negative connotations such as lack and hurt, so dread going home for Christmas or any imposed family gatherings. Some of the lucky ones see ‘home’ as being a positive concept, one that is full of joy, abundance and a sense of care. Others no longer describe ‘home’ as a physical destination at all, rather one of peace within themselves wherever they are at any given moment in time.
However like anything within society, the idea of home can also be explored from an intersectional standpoint. Beautiful Experiments is an upcoming exhibition which will do just that. It looks at home from a non-binary and multigenerational standpoint, featuring artists from Black or mixed heritage backgrounds. Curated by Pelumi Odubanjo and Katy Barron, this will be Photo50 & London Art Fair’s annual exhibition of contemporary photography and exhibiting artists include, Heather Agyepong, Joy Gregory, Adaeze Ihebom, Adama Jalloh, Marcia Michael, Bernice Mulenga, Rubee Samuel, Marlene Smith, Maxine Walker and Sofia Yala.
With this exhibition the curators intend to ‘unravel’ traditional ideas of home. Home is often thought of as an immovable destination, however this exhibition expands that notion. The idea of home is seen as a safe space, a queer space and maybe even an invisible space with no fixed point. The exhibition emphasises the point that ‘home’ can either be “real” or “imagined”.