Souls Grown Deep, like the Rivers: Black Artists from the American South
Royal Academy of Arts
London

The exhibition featured Black artists from Southeastern United States, ranging from the mid 20th Century to today. The 66 artworks were often forged from repurposed items, and were created in near isolation from established artistic practices. The artworks can often appear joyous from a distance, but tell a darker story when viewed up close, reflecting inhuman themes of institutionalised racism and enslavement.
The exhibition had a dynamic feel throughout due to sculptural mediums of the artworks, and the opportunity to highlight texture and form through shadow-play. The ‘white-box’ gallery created a stark juxtaposition to their context, which allowed the artworks to breathe in their own light. We utilised the existing stock of IGuzzini spotlight with a bespoke arrangement into the high level lighting tracks, and fine-tuned the light levels remotely via the in-house CASAMBI system.
Exhibition Design: Ilk Ltd
Curation & Project Management: Royal Academy of Arts
Build: MER Services Ltd
Technical Support: Michael Scott
The Guardian: 4 stars
The Telegraph: 4 stars
The Times: 4 stars
The Observer: 4 stars