history is a living weapon in yr hand is a solo exhibition of new work by London-based artist, Onyeka Igwe, comprising a two-screen film installation, A Radical Duet (2023), alongside film props and production materials.

The exhibition took London, 1947, as its starting point – a time when the city was a hub of anti-imperialist and Black revolutionary activity, with intellectuals, Marxists, educators and writers such as Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Sylvia Wynter, C.L.R. James, Kwame Nkrumah and George Padmore all spending time there. Each was agitating for their respective countries’ national independence – but did they meet? And if they all did, what did they discuss? What did they conjure?

Intertwining historical fact and fictional narrative, A Radical Duet traces three separate but converging timelines to imagine historical figures inspired by the burgeoning movements for national liberation coming together in London to fight for independence.

Central to the film are two fictional characters – a Nigerian Christian socialist, women’s rights activist and union leader, Adura Falade, and Sylvie St. Hill, a Jamaican student, dancer and playwright. These women, from different generations and backgrounds, come together to put their fervour and imagination into writing a revolutionary play. Through staged scenes that move between past and present, Igwe’s film depicts the play as a form of political protest, and envisages what it would look like if staged today.

‍A Radical Duet was presented across Peer’s two gallery spaces, prompting the viewer to move between gallery one and gallery two to experience the entirety of the film. A collection of props replicating scenes from film, alongside rehearsal scripts, are installed throughout the exhibition space and Peer’s street-facing windows, inviting visitors to consider the use of artifice within the film’s narrative and its production.

A series of talks, events and workshops was programmed by the MA Curating and Collections at Chelsea College of Art, University of Arts London in response to Igwe’s work and will run throughout the exhibition. A printed map also accompanied Igwe’s exhibition, highlighting significant figures and familiar locations in Hackney, connecting to overlooked Black British histories. Additionally, a digital version of the map was created, which offered a selection of related reading materials and references to core themes in the exhibition and makes it easier for viewers to access location information and related websites on mobile devices. It can be viewed using the drop down below.

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Igwe’s exhibition was part of Peer’s 2024 Programme, which included new commissions and exhibitions by artists Ed Webb-Ingall and Meera Shakti Osborne.

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Screening times:
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The film was 28 minutes long and screenings began every half an hour from 12pm, with the last screening at 5.30pm.


ACCESS INFORMATION

Audio description: A Radical Duet has animated captions which include sound descriptions. Audio description can be accessed via radio frequency headsets at the entrance to the gallery. Captions and audio descriptions are facilitated by Collective Text.

Physical access: The gallery entrance is 84 cm wide. The gallery is on the ground floor.

Lighting: Please note that the exhibition space is dark. The film is the primary light source. Sound plays in the space at a high volume. Let us know in advance if you require the room to be brighter or a lower volume or ask a member of staff.


BIOGRAPHY

Onyeka Igwe (b. London 1986). Lives and works in London. Recent solo exhibitions include: A Repertoire of Protest (No Dance, No Palaver), MoMA PS1, New York, 2023; The Miracle on George Green, The High Line, New York, USA, 2022 and a so-called archive, LUX, London, UK. Recent group exhibitions include Nigeria Imaginary, Venice Biennale, Italy, 2024; Lagos Peckham Repeat: Pilgrimage to the Lakes, South London Gallery, London, 2023; Echoes, Haus der Kunst, Munich, Germany, 2022; Reconfigured, Timothy Taylor New York, USA, 2021; Archives of Resistance, Neue Galerie, Innsbruck, Austria, 2021. Igwe's work is distributed by LUX and argos. She is represented by Arcadia Missa.


SUPPORTERS

‍history is a living weapon in yr hand at Peer is supported by Arts Council England and Headline Supporter, Mandy El Sayegh. With thanks to Hackney Council's Black History Season.

A programme of talks, events and workshops for history is a living weapon in yr hand is programmed in partnership with the MA Curating and Collections, Chelsea College of Arts. Captions and audio descriptions for A Radical Duet are facilitated by Collective Text.

‍history is a living weapon in yr hand is produced in collaboration with Bonington Gallery, where it opened on 13 January 2024.

A Radical Duet was commissioned by FLAMIN Productions through FILM LONDON Artists’ Moving Image Network with funding from Arts Council England. Additional funding from June Givanni Pan African Cinema Archive, and The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities Cultural Programme.

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