Voices from the Edge, a group of racially diverse artists based in mid and west Wales, have created thought-provoking artworks in response to the British Museum’s Sloane collection, which has ties to slavery. The group was invited to reinterpret the collection as part of a touring exhibition currently on display at Ceredigion Museum in Aberystwyth.
The artists, including Déa Neile-Hopton, Abid Hussain, Mina Katouzian, and Shamira Scott, expressed their challenges with the project, highlighting issues around payment, representation, and emotional support. Despite the difficulties, they acknowledged the importance of the work they were doing and the need for a more inclusive approach in museums and institutions.
Déa Neile-Hopton created two woven circles and led a collective piece featuring sculptural hands symbolizing the absence of enslaved people’s stories in the Sloane collection. Abid Hussain’s emotional response led him to create a video expressing his struggles with finding his voice in the project.
The group’s experiences shed light on the need for greater diversity and support in the arts and museum sector. They emphasized the importance of including global majority voices in projects like this and called for radical change in how history is taught and represented.
The British Museum, in response to the feedback from the group, acknowledged the emotional toll the project took on participants and expressed a commitment to learning from the experience for future projects. The Welsh government, which funded the AIM Re:Collections program that established Voices from the Edge, praised the group’s work in highlighting the importance of diverse perspectives in documenting history.
Overall, the Voices from the Edge project serves as a powerful reminder of the complexities and challenges of addressing issues of slavery and colonialism in the arts and museum sector, and the need for greater inclusivity and support for marginalized voices.
