Displays of Power: Colonial Legacies and their Manifestations

As part of Black History Month, join Alisha O’Brien-Coker to explore the relationship between colonialism and visual culture, tracing the way in which structures of power have been historically represented within the Wallace Collection and beyond. In considering the social and historical context of these works, we will interrogate the role of art as both a signifier and facilitator of colonial ideals. At the same time, we will identify how some contemporary artists today continue to respond to these legacies, offering alternative ways of thinking with and through these materials.
 
About the speaker: Alisha O’Brien-Coker currently works as the curatorial assistant for Modern British Art at Tate Britain whilst also completing an MA in History of Art at UCL, both supported by the Rosenberg Memorial Fund. Since graduating in 2023, she has worked in the curatorial field, including the Wallace Collection, where she contributed to the collection’s research and interpretation. Between 2024-25, she trained as a curatorial fellow at New Curators, co-curating Duane Linklater’s first major UK institutional exhibition, akâmi- at Camden Art Centre.