Tate Modern
Friday 25 August 2017, 18:00 – 22:00
Supported by UNIQLO
Barkley L. Hendricks Icon for My Man Superman (Superman Never Saved any Black People – Bobby Seale) 1969. Collection of Liz and Eric Lefkofsky © Estate of Barkley L. Hendricks. Courtesy of Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. Superman S-Shield © & ™ DC Comics. Used with permission
To celebrate August’s UNIQLO Tate Late, Tate Modern will offer free entrance to Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power - a landmark exhibition exploring what it meant to be an African American artist during the Civil Rights movement and at the birth of Black Power. Taking place from 6pm until 10pm on Friday 25 August to coincide with Notting Hill Carnival weekend, a limited number of free tickets will be available on a first-come first-served basis for Soul of a Nation as part of a programme of events bringing the spirit of carnival to Tate Modern.
Highlights of the upcoming UNIQLO Tate Late include music programmed by NTS Radio, which will see James Massiah, Lala &ce, CKtrl, Farai and Bonaventure playing Tate Modern’s iconic Turbine Hall, with further sets from DJ Senay, Minimal Effort and Nonsense in the Terrace Bar. Screenings of new films by Kahlil Joseph, Zawe Ashton, Cecile Emeke and Andy Mundy-Castle, inspired by the artists in Soul of a Nation, will be on show in the Starr Cinema, while interactive activities will offer the chance to design your own Black superhero with character creator Wayne ‘Hard-Wired’ Riley, create your own funk and soul inspired album cover, or take part in drop-in workshops exploring the writing of Black Power. Visitors can also expect to find Tate Modern animated by a one-off digital display of Solange Knowles Ferguson’s visually captivating Seventy States (2017). Created to coincide with Soul of a Nation, this interactive commission will also be available to view via the Tate website, showcasing exclusive unreleased performance pieces and concepts from music videos “Cranes in the Sky,” and “Don’t Touch my Hair,” as well as an original piece “We Sleep in our Clothes,” filmed at Tate Modern in July 2016.
Amy Lamé, Night Czar said:
The Mayor and I believe it’s really important that London’s night life reflects the incredible diversity of the city – whether you want to go to the theatre, visit an exhibition or party the night away. UNIQLO Tate Lates are a mainstay of London’s night life, so it’s great to see Tate Modern open up the Soul of a Nation exhibition free to all Londoners for this distinctive mix of art, music and entertainment. This is a fantastic way to experience the capital’s exceptional night time culture, showing London is open to creativity and to all people.
Frances Morris, Director of Tate Modern said:
Soul of a Nation offers a rare opportunity for people in the UK to discover works by significant African American artists created during a turbulent period in American history. We are thrilled that this month’s UNIQLO Tate Late will open up this landmark exhibition to as wide an audience as possible, who we hope will enjoy and appreciate the fierce beauty of the art of Black America from 1963 to 1983.
Ben Cook, Brand Manager at UNIQLO said:
We are incredibly proud to support the UNIQLO Tate Lates series and this exciting opportunity for Londoners to experience the important and inspirational Soul of a Nation exhibition, at this month’s event.
Held on the last Friday of the month, UNIQLO Tate Lates are a series of special late nights at Tate Modern, supported by UNIQLO. They offer the chance to see the latest exhibitions and displays, hear music from up-and-coming DJs and discover pop-up talks, playful artistic activations and hands-on workshops. Visitors can join popular UNIQLO 10 Minute Talks and Collection Conversations throughout the gallery, where staff and volunteers from across Tate share their personal insights into works from the collection. Special food and drink offers are also available throughout the night.
Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power is at Tate Modern until 22 October 2017.
Music and visuals programmed by NTS Radio
James Massiah, Lala &ce, CKtrl, Farai and Bonaventure play the Turbine Hall. Plus see DJ Senay, Minimal Effort and Nonsense in the Terrace Bar until 23.00.
Film display
Drop in to the Starr Cinema for a free display of short films inspired by the work of four artists featured in the Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power exhibition. Each filmmaker responds in their own stylistic way to the content and narrative explored in the subject’s art. Films will be played on a loop:
Kahlil Joseph Black Mary 2017, 6 min
Zawe Ashton Meeting Lorraine 2017, 9 min
Cecile Emeke The Ancestors Came 2017, 6 min
Andy Mundy-Castle William T. Williams – A Diamond In A Box 2017, 6 min
Sampha: Shy Light launch
Join us in the Terrace Bookshop for the UK launch of Shy Light, a new zine by Sampha which features abstracted lyrics, photography from the artist’s archive and commissioned photography by Durimel. Shy Light launch is accompanied by a special screening in the Starr Cinema at 21.00 of Process, a Sampha film directed by Kahlil Joseph.
Solange Knowles Ferguson - Seventy States (2017)
A one-off digital display of Solange Knowles Ferguson's Seventy States (2017) presented in the Tanks foyer. Created to coincide with Soul of a Nation, this interactive commission will also be available to view via the Tate website.
Drawing Black Superheroes
Develop your own Black superheroes with character designer and creator Wayne ‘Hard-Wired’ Riley. Taking inspiration from historical figures, learn how to design superhero characters using comic drawing techniques.
Writing Black Power
From the poetry of Amiri Baraka to the speeches of Malcolm X, words were a powerful tool in the Black Power movement. Explore the spoken word of the struggle at Bridget Minamore’s drop-in, interactive writing session, and listen to pop-up readings throughout the evening.
Keeping it Real
Inspired by Black funk, soul and disco album sleeves, create your own album cover with artists Harold Offeh and Eloise Calandre, and watch your work projected live across the night.
From a Creative Case to an Ecology of Care
Diversity – what does it mean to you? Share your ideas with The Ecology of Care team. Chat policy and politics, watch your words live streamed, and turn ideas into badges.
UNIQLO 10 Minute Art Talks
Staff and volunteers from across Tate share their personal insights into works from the collection.
Collection Conversations
Got an opinion about the art in Tate Modern? Our visitor experience teams will lead three lively rounds of conversation around key artworks.
About UNIQLO
Since October 2016, UNIQLO has partnered with Tate to produce the UNIQLO Tate Lates at Tate Modern. This series of special, late nights offer an opportunity for visitors to see the latest exhibitions and displays, hear music from up-and-coming DJs programmed by NTS Radio, watch rarely-seen artists' films, and join in with interactive events - all for free. Held on the last Friday of every month, the events have becoming a vibrant new monthly Friday night destination attracting a diverse and culturally engaged London audience.
UNIQLO Lifewear
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About Fast Retailing
UNIQLO is a brand of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd., a leading Japanese retail holding company with global headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. UNIQLO is the largest of six main brands in the Fast Retailing Group, the other being GU, J Brand, Theory, Comptoir des Cotonniers and Princesse tam.tam. With global sales of approximately 1.8619 trillion yen for the 2017 fiscal year ending August 31, 2017 (US $16.87 billion, calculated in yen using the end of August 2017 rate of $1 = 110.4 yen), Fast Retailing is one of the world's largest apparel retail companies and UNIQLO is Japan's leading speciality retailer. For more information about UNIQLO and Fast Retailing, please visit www.uniqlo.com
For press information contact Rachael.Young@tate.org.uk or Daisy.Taylor@tate.org.uk or call +44(0)20 7887 8832/8730
High resolution press images can be downloaded from Tate's Dropbox site. This link will expire when the exhibition has closed