‘I Am Because We Are’ by contemporary artist Nicola Green celebrates the lives, heritage, and accomplishments of ten Scholars and Fellows from the Rhodes Trust community.
Developed in collaboration with researchers, artists, and the Scholars & Fellows themselves, the exhibit comprises 'Entangled Threads,' ten framed fibre artworks, and 'Tapestries,' ten unique vinyl patterns. All ten patterns are displayed together in stripes, forming a Rhodes Tapestry, representing unity in diversity and the commitment to equity and inclusion.
"Nicola Green’s practice focuses on storytelling through portraiture. Nicola combines multiple techniques including painting, pattern making, textile, drawing and gilding. She is an artist and social historian, rooting her work in detailed research using the power of the visual image to tell important stories of our time. Her work over twenty-five years has focused on how we understand our differences, inspired by her mixed heritage children. Her children have black and white South African heritage.
"The Studio of Nicola Green was asked to create an exhibition for the 120th anniversary of the Rhodes Trust. Nicola did not take this decision lightly. The Studio agreed because we believe that in order to move forward we have to acknowledge our past together, participate in uncomfortable conversations, and actively work to dismantle structures of structural racism.
"We have addressed the story of The Rhodes Trust, and the legacy of imperialism and white supremacy, by shining a light on the achievements of Rhodes scholars. We have worked with the scholars to think about how their specific stories intersect with the past and the present of the Rhodes Trust, in order to reimagine our future.
"The Studio of Nicola Green is committed to this process of imperfect and incremental change. We have collaborated with artists and researchers from communities that are under-represented within the creative industries and continue to engage in dialogue, developing a sustainable and intersectional practice."
