Akeroyd Collection
Works
Martine Syms, S1:E4, 2020
![a young black women stands with her arms folded and head cocked to the side.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Frp6jt0va%2Fproduction%2F816890967d108feeda6d94efc3616e576372970d-2400x1811.jpg%3Ffit%3Dmax%26auto%3Dformat&w=3840&q=75)
![two young black people it next to each other in a park](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Frp6jt0va%2Fproduction%2F3640e2ffbfb1555356c190baf33d945b58571619-2400x1808.jpg%3Ffit%3Dmax%26auto%3Dformat&w=3840&q=75)
![two young people wearing white tshirts are in a park. One person is leaning back on the other in anticipation they will catch her](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Frp6jt0va%2Fproduction%2F1dd1fba79a8a3a3c2b12acc5b30b6b9bb8d92fce-2400x1808.jpg%3Ffit%3Dmax%26auto%3Dformat&w=3840&q=75)
![white text 'she mad' is written on a purple back ground](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Frp6jt0va%2Fproduction%2F5c4e644bbaff5db2bf5584ecf1c06faaab94093e-2400x1809.jpg%3Ffit%3Dmax%26auto%3Dformat&w=3840&q=75)
![A black person stands with their hands clasped together mid clap. They are wearing a blue bandana.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Frp6jt0va%2Fproduction%2Fb67f37a5c2f893cce1922e4c80fac956c9aa0654-2400x1812.jpg%3Ffit%3Dmax%26auto%3Dformat&w=3840&q=75)
![Three young black women stand in a row. They are posing. They are standing in red light which tints the whole image.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Frp6jt0va%2Fproduction%2F36ce4fe98a23eb5b6916c69abdb6aaca62466d87-2400x1813.jpg%3Ffit%3Dmax%26auto%3Dformat&w=3840&q=75)
![art works installed in a gallery that has white walls and a concrete floor.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Frp6jt0va%2Fproduction%2Ff0281478fa13a55d654ea098053e467db0b4b10b-2400x1600.jpg%3Ffit%3Dmax%26auto%3Dformat&w=3840&q=75)
![art works installed in a gallery that has white walls and a concrete floor.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Frp6jt0va%2Fproduction%2F7e0d7c1d5b326b62437261e776e55264c976e576-2400x1600.jpg%3Ffit%3Dmax%26auto%3Dformat&w=3840&q=75)
S1:E4 is a single episode of Martine Syms’ project SHE MAD (2015-ongoing), in which the artist emulates the sitcom format to explore depictions of blackness in the public imagination. The SHE MAD series follows the character of Martine, a stoner and graphic designer who lives in Hollywood and wishes she were an important visual artist. This particular episode begins with a conversation with a colleague that triggers a flashback to a summertime in her past. She zones out and remembers being a camper at T-Zone, a week-long empowerment programme for teenage girls founded by a supermodel and business mogul. The scene takes a disturbing turn when she recalls the leader instigating a workshop that encouraged everyone to vocalize problematic racial stereotypes. Under the guise of openness and with the intention to cast prejudice out, the opposite happens and the workshop descends into offensive rhetoric and confrontation. The misguided efforts of the privileged simply makes space for continued violence. Before long, Martine returns from her flashback and apologises to her co-worker for not listening to them.
Medium | Video |
Duration | 10 minutes 50 seconds |
Edition | of 5 +1 AP |