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    Elsa James: It Should Not Be Forgotten

    Runs until Sunday, 6 July 2025 (See all dates)

    Time
    10:00 - 17:00
    Venue
    Firstsite Colchester, Colchester, CO1 1JH
    Price
    Free

    Join Essex artist Elsa James in examining the heart of Britain’s colonial past and its lasting impact on Black life today.

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    This bold and unflinching exhibition challenges what we think we know, sparking new conversations about the psychological effects of transatlantic enslavement while honouring the resilience and strength Black communities have historically demonstrated.

    “The show explores the rupture, erasure, and fragmentation of histories that shape Black life in the diaspora, inviting moments of understanding, healing, and community connection.”- Elsa James


    What to expect
    Experience a provocative mix of new work from renowned British African-Caribbean interdisciplinary artist Elsa James in her first major solo exhibition at Firstsite, featuring photography, neon, screen print and sound.

    The works confront Britain’s “national amnesia” regarding its role in the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved African people and the colonial legacies that followed, offering a deeply moving and immersive experience.

    Discover large-scale photographic pieces inspired by Christina Sharpe’s notion of how the slave ship marks and haunts contemporary Black life today.

    Through her compelling response to the diaries of an 18th-century British plantation overseer and enslaver, uncover lesser-known facts from the nation’s colonial archives.



    *Image Caption: Elsa James: Living in the Wake of the Lust for Sugar, Film still, London, Sugar & Slavery Gallery, Museum of London Docklands, Image: Andy Delaney 2023.

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    Venue

    Firstsite Colchester
    Lewis Gardens, High Street
    Colchester
    CO1 1JH

    More details for this venue

    Dates

    The event runs from 10:00 to 17:00 on the following dates.
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