Come the Revolution Present: (Wo)man In Me

Join us for an immersive film essay curated collectively by Come the Revolution, followed by an in-conversation between members of the group.

Societal constructions of Black women, reflected in cinematic culture, present us with hyper notions of gender identity, from the mama figure of Oprah Winfrey, to the supposed 'masculinity' of Serena Williams.

Among Black men Barack Obama was presented as a political Sidney Poitier, the epitome of African American 'Fatherhood', who could be contrasted and compared with, for example, the 'thug' millionaire Floyd Mayweather. This tendency to see individuals as one dimensional denies a reality of complex identities that cut across multiple lines, including race, class and gender boundaries. 

Using still and moving image, original and borrowed, poetry and prose, Come the Revolution present a visual essay with references to cultural icons, from Grace Jones to Prince, that have blurred the lines between gender and race identities, and have done so by drawing from LGBTQ cultures, Black dandyism and Afrofuturism.

In doing so they have identified the coexistence of masculine and feminine traits as a site of health and redemption.

This event has been programmed to accompany Grayson Perry's exhibition at Arnolfini.