A new book on the 2016 No Colour Bar exhibition is now available.
No Colour Bar: Black British Art in Action 1960-1990, documents how the exhibition came to fruition and all those involved. The book reproduces images of the art featured at the exhibition by seminal black artists alongside archive material — leaflets, journal and book covers, flyers and historical pictures — all in a beautifully produced and tactile book.
The exhibition at the Guildhall Art Gallery, which included works by artists such as Sonia Boyce, Fowokan, Lubaina Himid and Aubrey Williams (to name just a few) – was a revelation – so many great artists and works in one space.
The exhibition and book owe much to the work of Erica and Jessica Huntley who founded Bogle-L’Ouverture Publications, ran the Walter Rodney Bookshop and were involved in some of the most important political moments in the struggles against racism over the last fifty years. The exhibition is based in large part on their personal archives which are held at the London Metropolitan Archives.
The book is not just about art — it tells a political story of struggles against racism waged by activist artists. No Colour Bar: Black British Art in Action 1960-1990 is a weighty tome that would look good on any coffee table and possesses both style and content.