Govanhill Culture Collective
4th - 28th August 2022
Gallery 103 (Trongate 103)
Govanhill Culture Collective presents a vibrant showcase featuring photography and video that brings together some of the results from a year-long collaborative, community-based artist residency programme developed by Street Level Photoworks as part of the National Culture Collective Project.
Lead artist Morwenna Kearsley and support artist Alex Popa have been engaging people across Govanhill in creative projects that range from street photography, experimental filmmaking & cycling in the project CYCLOPS, exploratory self-portraiture in a new women’s photography group My Mother, My Country, still life’s of people’s precious objects with stories around them in FONDS and staged photographic portraiture celebrating inspirational Roma people from history.
The exhibition is a celebration of the collaborative creativity explored through the residencies and a testimony to people’s resilience and determination in post-pandemic times, alongside exploring the role that artists can have in communities in times of recovery and uncertainty. The exhibition also coincides with a photography trail around Govanhill of FONDS , organised by Greater Govanhill and a limited edition set of postcards will be available. Copies of REFLECTOR, a limited edition zine profiling the various projects mentioned above will be available during the exhibition - get along early to secure your copy!
For more information on the photography trail in 25 locations across Govanhill see here.
You can also Listen Back to the stories of what the objects mean to the participants on Radio Buena Vida here.
Thanks to everyone that has engaged with the residencies through the course of the last year, individuals and local community groups: Unity Sisters, Romano Lav, Bike For Good, Milk Café, Greater Govanhill magazine, Govanhill Housing Association and Community Connector Marzanna Antoniak and Thriving Places Govanhill. Thanks also to the Wee Plate & Bees Knees Cafe for hosting workshop sessions, when access to spaces to meet was still very limited by COVID restrictions.
The exhibition profiling outcomes from the Gorbals Culture Collective takes place from 1st - 25th September.
Creative Scotland with Scottish Government emergency COVID-19 funds launched the Culture Collective pilot programme in 2020 to support creative practitioners, organisations and communities to work together.
Banner Image: from the series ROMA, Romano Lav Community Catalysts in collaboration with Morwenna Kearsley & Alex Popa
Left Image: Mohammed & Hasan, from the series FONDS, Morwenna Kearsley in collaboration with Greater Govanhill Magazine & Thriving Places