Wembley Park Unveils “Equilibrium”, a Free Art Exhibition by Female Artists

Wembley Park has revealed a major new series of public artworks. Launched on 8^th March 2023, the ‘Equilibrium’ exhibition will feature the work of female artists from around the world, presenting their own explorations of balance, unity, harmony, and equality.

The free, outdoor Wembley Park art trail, which winds its way around the 85-acre neighbourhood, has in recent years gained a reputation for exploring important cultural and societal issues. Previous exhibitions have included The Pineapple Award-nominated ‘Figures of Change’ marking International Women’s Day in 2022 and ‘Visions of Home’ – a collection of works by Ukrainian artists delivering a powerful homage to their homeland.

In addition to the Wembley Park art trail’s permanent pieces, featuring artworks by artists including Lois O’Hara, Jason Bruges and Mr. Doodle, the new ‘Equilibrium’ exhibition has been curated by an all-female team at London-based multidisciplinary studio Acrylicize, a collective of artists, designers, creatives and craftspeople who harness the power of creativity to create spaces to fall in love with. In Wembley Park, the new collection of artworks celebrates the coming together of multiple disciplines, backgrounds and influences to create a trail rich in diversity, mutual harmony and balance.

 

 

The new installations will feature in four key locations: the Spanish Steps leading from Arena Square to Wembley Stadium, an outdoor photography exhibition in bustling Market Square adjacent to Brent Civic Centre, a series of digital screens spanning the Bobby Moore Bridge, the iconic Olympic Way and White Horse Square, and three original ‘K2 kiosk’ red telephone boxes that have been converted into outdoor art galleries in Arena Square by the Grade II listed OVO Arena Wembley.

 

The centrepiece of the ‘Equilibrium’ exhibition is ‘Steps for Change’ – a digital design on graphic vinyl, on display upon the Spanish Steps. A bespoke installation by Acrylicize, ‘Steps for Change’ connects with the UN’s theme for International Women’s Day 2023 of ‘DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality’, which focuses on increasing skills and awareness in the digital world to help close the gender gap in economic and social inequalities.

The three designs that run up the staircase feature one main icon per flight, using stair-sized pixel shapes so that the piece breaks apart evenly as visitors move around the space. They convey a sense of balance and equilibrium in doing so, while also aiming to celebrate the growth and power of women in the digital world, paving the way for the future.

That power is also celebrated by the collection of digital artworks on display in Wembley Park, curated by moving-image artist Zaiba Jabbar. An award-winning director, curator and commissioner, Zaiba is the driving force behind the femme-focused Hervisions digital art collective. In Wembley Park, the artist has curated a selection of works exploring the concept of equilibrium in a range of forms, with the work of three leading digital artists rotating across installations on Olympic Way, the Bobby Moore Bridge, and White Horse Square for the duration for the exhibition.

 

The first work to be launched is the ‘Jelly Experiments’ series from interdisciplinary designer and digital artist Lucy Hardcastle. Lucy specialises in sensual storytelling for the digital age, delivering pioneering artworks using interactive technologies, 3D visuals and moving images to tell complex and emotionally resonant stories. Jelly Experiments is a series of experimental digital films inspired by the idea of suspended realities and physical illusions – one of the key themes of Lucy’s practice. Her work intends to challenge the audience’s perception of reality by exploring fluidity, physics and reflections within photo-realistic environments.

 

For the outdoor photography exhibition in Market Square, eight double-sided lightboxes showcase the work of four female artists, exploring themes of contemporary feminine identity, culture and the complexity of the female experience. The works touch upon the delicacy of balancing traditions with a sense of self.

British Nigerian photographer Tayo Dekunle has used the lightboxes to explore the commodification, fetishization and sexualisation of Black women’s bodies, through her ‘Reclamation of the Exposition’ and to examine multicultural identity through her ‘Contemporary Identity’ pieces.

Afro-Dutch creative Chi Chi Maté Langlah’s work uses styling as a tool to convey unpopular stories, focusing on African folklore, stereotyping, Black diaspora history and culture. Her photographs on display are inspired by textures within the Black community, celebrating Black hair, sisterhood, powerful symbolism and unity, while examining the role of hair as an extension of the inner self.

Specialising in self-portraits, Spanish fine art/conceptual photographer Fares Micue also uses symbolism, delivering purpose through every element of her compositions. The award-winning artist has chosen images that explore issues of belonging, unity, balance and conscious choice for the Equilibrium exhibition.

Black-Muslim photographer, creative director and creative producer Yasmin Jama, who lives locally in the Wembley area, uses her work as a visual diary of her experiences and observations of the world around her, focusing on composition and light to create a sense of balance and harmony. For ‘Equilibrium’, the artist has chosen images from her ‘Identity Series’, which explores the juxtaposition and layering of Western and cultural identity, along with images that focus on the powerful contrast of our innermost feelings.

 

For the Arena Square phone boxes, London artist Fiona Grady has delivered the site-specific ‘Sun-Kissed 2023’ vinyl installation. Fiona is known for her works exploring our relationship with natural light and how it moves through spaces, stretching and rotating across the day. Her artworks reference traditional mediums such as stained glass in a contemporary setting. For the Arena Square phone boxes, Fiona has used rhythmic patterns of interchanging shapes and colours to transform the environment, with interlocking triangles sitting in equilibrium to one another, creating a tension with the gridlines of the iconic red phone booths. Her glowing shapes are composed from a harmonious palette of warm tones: lemon yellow, tropical orange, rose red and hot pink, which emanate a soft light that captures a sense of summer sunshine, happiness and anticipation.

Josh McNorton, Cultural Director, Wembley Park comments: “We are thrilled to bring together so many thought-provoking and inspiring artworks to mark International Women’s Day through this bold new collection. We are certain that local residents and visitors to Wembley Park will connect with and engage with these fascinating works of art and their themes of self-identity, unity and balance.”

Jo McLaughlin, Senior Curator, Acrylicize comments: ‘Working alongside and curating the work of so many groundbreaking female artists for Wembley Park’s Spring Art Trail has been a privilege. Watching how each has responded to the theme of equilibrium in their own practice has allowed us to build a public art trail filled with moments of curiosity, excitement and intrigue across the entirety of the Spring Trail. There is something for everyone to enjoy and I hope the works spark conversations and reflections on the importance of finding your own sense of balance and equilibrium, whatever that may look like.’

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