Black excellence exhibition

Coventry winning the City of Culture 2021, has opened doors for ethnic artists in the city. Black excellence was an art exhibition celebrating the art work of Ryan Hart and Smilo. Two young talented black men born and raised in Coventry.

The exhibition showcased art work inspired by both artists upbringing and surroundings. Ryan Hart the lead artists, used his art work to celebrate his love for jazz music along with homeland Trinidad and Tobago. Using fine art material and the love for jazz music, the exhibition took us on a journey through the life of the Artist. While Smilo uses art to celebrate famous black people such as Oprah Winfrey ad Martin Luther King.

Ryan Hart said “the exhibition was motivated by a lack of black artists being showcased in the city.” Before the City of Culture, it was rare to see black artist showcased in exhibitions or any other form of art in the city of Coventry.

Maokwo an organisation part of the City of Culture is putting together a forum called fusion, for ethnic minorities to be able to showcase their talent and collaborate with each other. This forum will empower ethnic minorities and migrants as well.

The founder Laura expressed “through success stories people can be inspired and also it allows us as a community to come together and celebrate our talents”. through her platform Laura plans to showcase talented individuals from the ethnic community and provided them with a platform where they can grow and build a brand for themselves.

The city of culture 2021 should provide a platform for ethnic minorities to showcase their talents. For more information on this check out the city of Culture 2021 website.