This June, we’re delighted to be hosting The Depths of Our History – an exhibition of two works by the brilliant Rudy Loewe, an artist visualising black histories and social politics through painting, drawing and text. The works are viewable in the ONCA window gallery from 14 June to 3 July 2023.

Rudy Loewe began a Techne funded practice-based PhD at the University of the Arts London in 2021. This research critiques Britain’s role in suppressing Black Power organising in the English-speaking Caribbean during the 1960s and 70s. Loewe is creating paintings and drawings that unravel this history including recently declassified Foreign & Commonwealth Office records. Their approach to painting speaks to their background in comics and illustration, combining text, image and sequential narrative.

ONCA strives to support the work of artists who explore complex histories of coloniality and oppression, and to increase audiences’ consciousness of the ongoing influence of these histories on contemporary society. June is a significant opportunity to contemplate Britain’s recent histories of coloniality: not only does Refugee Week happen in June each year, but June 22, 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush, a ship bringing West Indian migrants from then-British colony Jamaica to the UK. Read more about the story of the Windrush, the 2017 Windrush scandal and the hostile environment in our blogpost here.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Rudy Loewe (b.1987) lives and works in London, UK. They hold a BA in Illustration from the University of Brighton, UK (2010), an MFA in Fine Art from Konstfack, Stockholm, SE (2018) and are currently working towards a PhD at the University of the Arts London.

Loewe has exhibited internationally in institutions and galleries including: Humber Street Gallery, Hull, UK: South London Gallery, London, UK; New Art Exchange, Nottingham, UK; Botkyrka Konsthall, Stockholm, SE; Vallentuna Kulturhus, Stockholm, SE; Marabourparken, Sundbyberg, SE; Royal Academy, London, UK; Regart Centre D’Artistes En Art Actuel, Lévis, CA; DobraVaga, Ljubljana, SI; 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning, London, UK; Staffordshire St, London, UK; Ugly Duck, London, UK.

They have had public commissions including: LDN WMN billboard commissioned by Tate and the Mayor of London, London, UK; Becontree Forever schools project, commissioned by Barking & Dagenham council, London, UK; The Depths of Our History, Contemporary Art Space Project commissioned by Iniva and RSA Academies, UK; Black Women in History, Pen Store shop front window, Stockholm, SE; PROCESSIONS banner commissioned by Artichoke, London, UK; Draw Or Die! Grafikens Hus shop front window, Södertälje, SE.

Residencies include: Early Years Artists in Residence, Serpentine Gallery, London, UK (2020); Distributed Identities residency, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Canada (2019); We Dey, X Space, AU (2019); The Bothy Project, Scotland (2019).

Current and forthcoming exhibitions include a solo show at Orleans House Gallery, Twickenham, UK (until 29 May 2023) and a public sculpture presentation in the Liverpool Biennial 2023, UK (opening 10 June 2023).

Website / Instagram

Find out more about Rudy Loewe’s work by listening to them in conversation with ONCA’s Communications Manager, Maddy Kelly here.