A pair of ground-breaking public art exhibitions created by Brown women to showcase their strength, beauty and creativity has been unveiled at the new Coventry Train Station as a powerful first impression to visitors of the city, and for local people.
Collections of art and photography that disrupt narratives around Brown women and allow them to stake a larger claim in the city’s cultural identity have been revealed at the new Coventry Station as part of Coventry City of Culture celebrations.
The two exhibitions, JOY and Nungi, have been created as part of Unapologetic, a festival held as part of City of Culture to encourage Brown women to celebrate their identity and take up space in the public realm.
JOY, which is located at the entrance of the new £82 million Coventry Railway station, features the work of five emerging and established local artists who were commissioned by an independent panel to produce artwork responding the idea of joy as a form of activism following a public call out.
Nungi, which in Punjabi means 'naked', features black and white photography of Brown women and can be found in the tunnel of the new station. The subjects were invited to sit for a photoshoot to express their authentic selves and take control of their visibility and image, and to share the result in a public space.
The exhibitions, which are being showcased thanks to support from Coventry City Council and Avanti West Coast, follow a year of conversations with intergenerational Brown women in the build up to the Unapologetic festival, which has also included a night of live comedy and poetry at the Belgrade Theatre and a ‘daytimer’ rave at HMV Empire.
Mariam Abdurahman, who contributed to both the JOY and Nungi exhibitions, said: "Seeing hijabi women in such a public space in this way is so empowering.
“As a multi-ethnic artist I use art as a form of storytelling to represent the beauty of women of colour as it gives me immense joy.
“I am thrilled to have been given an opportunity to showcase my work challenging society’s standard of fitting in; that is a huge achievement in my creative career.
“The Nungi project has motivated me to be confident in myself and to celebrate being Unapologetic, breaking from the stereotype that you have to perfect.”
Coventry City of Culture Trust producer, Navkiran Mann said: "This exhibition disrupts and challenges stereotypes around Brown women being seen as silent, dismissive and invisible.
“This is a bold move to take up space in the public realm bringing arts and culture to everyone, and inviting conversation around what it means for Coventry to be a truly Global City.”
Cllr David Welsh, cabinet member for housing and communities, said: “I am really proud that we were able to support Unapologetic, the first exhibition of many, I hope, in our fantastic new railway station building.
“This amazing display showcases the talent in our city, celebrates diversity and brings our new station to life. It also adds to the art we have also been able to integrate into the original station building too.”
Nicola Ryder, Commercial Partnerships Manager at Avanti West Coast, said: “As proud Transport Partner for Coventry UK City of Culture 2021, the new station building is the perfect canvas for Unapologetic.
“It’s a very powerful display and one that challenges thinking. It has been great to see so many people stop to immerse themselves in the art as they pass through the station.”
For more information visit coventry2021.co.uk/what-s-on/unapologetic-joy-nungi-exhibitions