2021: A Personal Year in Review.

2020 was the year that changed our lives collectively, we dealt with varying degrees of loss across all facets of our lives. As such, we were all keen to strike 2020 from our memories and start afresh as we entered 2021. Yet a few months into this new year, fatigue began to sink in for many. It was clear that many of us hadn’t given ourselves the space to process the major shifts that we had experienced.

Some continued to face loss after loss, some found opportunities that changed their whole trajectory and others took each day as it came, acknowledging they were somewhere in the middle and so just trying to make it work. I wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on my year and some of the highlights that I didn’t get to take in fully as I was on auto-pilot.

January

I was shortlisted as one for the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list in the category of Art & Culture.

Stillness performance (2020) in reflection (in conversation) with artists Liz Gre & Enam Gbewonyo for Critical Pedagogies short course at Tate,

February

I delivered a presentation to the British Art Networks Emerging Curators Group on Multiplicity within curatorial practice and participated in a panel discussion with other colleagues.

March

I published my debut book of poetry and prose Between Words & Space, which sold out within the first week and had many positive responses from those who connected with the work.

April

In conversation with Legacy Russel on Studio Museum IG live as part of the Studio Live programme.

My essay There’s No Place Like Home: Only Somewhere In-Between was published.

Blk Moody Boi, Safely Trans Outside, 2021

May

On May 26 2021 Beyond Boundaries launched. The project commissioned five young and emerging artists to create public artworks in and around Tate Modern in the Bankside area. Watch the interview I did with London Live about the project here.

June

I delivered a lecture An Invitation to the liminal to students at Chelsea College of Arts on the MA Curating and Collections course.

July

I wrote the text for Kenyan artist Kaloki Nyamai as part of his residency at Gallery 1957.

September

I wrote an essay for Ghanian artist Patrick Quarm on the presentation of his first solo presentation at the Armory Show in New York.

October

I was on the panel for the 20/20 - In Conversation with The Artfully Podcast - Visual Arts: Perception vs Reality at The Other Art Fair, Old Truman Brewery, London

A wonderful interview with Vox Meets Mode was published exploring my personal story

Péjú Oshin and Adelaide Damoah at AWITA’s 5th Birthday social held at Cromwell Place.

November

I was announced as one of 15 recipients of the sponsored memberships to join AWITA after being nominated.

The memberships were sponsored by Martin Miller’s Gin, Hauser & Wirth and the Adara Foundation in support of a diverse and inclusive network.

December

In closing: 2021 was a year full of growth, I experienced some challenges, some of which were small and others bigger. However, this exercise of reviewing my year here and the many highlights feels like the process of gratitude.

I look forward to all that 2022 has to hold as I am keen to continue making an impact through the work that I do. Get in contact here.