War Inna Babylon
7 July – 26 September 2021
The Institute of Contemporary Arts reopens on July 6th with War Inna Babylon: The Community’s Struggle for Truths and Rights, an exhibition curated by London–based racial advocacy and community organisation, Tottenham Rights, together with independent curators Kamara Scott and Rianna Jade Parker.
Ten years on from the UK–wide riots sparked by the police killing of Mark Duggan, this exhibition shines a light on the vast range of collective actions, resistance and grassroots activism undertaken by Black communities across the U.K in response to over seven decades of societal and institutional racism.
Using the ‘symbolic location’ of Tottenham, a neighbourhood that has received much attention in recent years due to its history of racial conflicts and heavy–handed policing; this exhibition combines archival material, documentary photography, film and state–of–the art 3D technology to ‘act as a window to the past and as a mirror for our present–day social climate’.
War Inna Babylon will chronicle the impact of various forms of state violence and institutional racism targeted at Britain’s Black communities since the mass arrival–upon–invitation of West Indian migrants in the late 1940s.
The exhibition will include original tributes from victims’ families, case studies of the controversial ‘sus’ (suspected person) laws and the Gangs’ Matrix and highlights legal developments that have resulted from Black justice campaigns.
War Inna Babylon will also present a new investigation into the killing of Mark Duggan by Forensic ArchitectureThe exhibition, the first of its kind to accurately assess the conditions of Black lives across Britain, will be accompanied by an extensive public programme presented both in Tottenham and at the ICA that will include film screenings, community educational groups, talks, cultural events, performances, and a digital presentation focusing on the interrelation between artificial intelligence (AI) and racism.
The exhibition is open to the public from 12 –9pm, Tuesday –Sunday.
Tuesday: Free for all visitors.
Wednesday –Sunday: £5, free for all ICA members