WORKSHOP: The Mirror Or The Mask? Writing in Contemporary Art

As writers and artists, how much of ourselves do we reveal in what we create? Should we hide our identities, shifting focus purely onto the message of the work, or do we reveal our own stories as sources of empowerment and catalysts for change?

This creative workshop, led by Ronke Osinowo, uses the exhibition Delaine Le Bas: Stranger in Silver Walking on Air as a starting point for the question of identity versus incognito. Through a series of thought-provoking prompts, we’ll explore techniques including abstraction, poetic expression, and stream-of-consciousness writing. Participants will explore their own approaches to writing and how they combine with contemporary art through the use of colour, symbols, imagery and mark-making. By the end of the session, you'll have a unique visual response to the question of what it means to be seen, hidden, or somewhere in between.

📆 Saturday 30th August

🕑 2-4pm

📍 The White House Dagenham

ABOUT RONKE OSINOWO

Ronke Osinowo (b.1973) is a British Nigerian artist based in London. Raised in Essex in a Romani household, Ronke's multidisciplinary practice spans written text, imagery and performance. Their work examines identities that exist beyond the confines of traditional class structures, often focusing on the liminal, the dislocated and the uncanny.

Through careful layering of the mundane with the poetic, their work draws attention to the interconnectedness of all forms of expression - and how these expressions shape, disrupt and reflect broader social realities. Their work challenges conventional narratives while holding space for nuance, tension and the invisible threads that link personal and collective identity.

ABOUT DELAINE LE BAS

English-Romani artist Delaine Le Bas lives and works across the UK and Europe. Born in 1965 in Worthing, she graduated from Central St Martin’s and her work explores themes of nationhood, land, belonging, and gender through various media such as embroidery, painting, collage, sculpture, installation, and performance.

Le Bas has played a significant role in the building of a Roma/Traveller contemporary art movement and aesthetic. Her work has been featured in the 52nd and 58th Venice Biennales and the Gwangju Biennale in 2012. She co-curated the first Roma Biennale, 'Come out Now!', in Berlin in 2018; and she has been shortlisted for the 2024 Turner Prize. Her latest exhibition, Delaine Le Bas: Stranger in Silver Walking on Air is currently open to visitors at The White House, Dagenham; a contemporary and community art space operated by Create London.

Please contact us via whitehouse@createlondon.org if you have any access needs or questions.