Anisa Nuh-Ali
Anisa Nuh-Ali is a Sheffield based artist who primarily works within the fields of installations, creating sculptural readymades. In her practice she interrogates and explores the intersections of her race, religion and gender. She is interested in themes of Blackness, Black liberation and post-colonialism. Examining and commenting on Black athleticism, culture, aesthetics and politics. Nuh-Ali centres Black narratives as the focal point in her practice and looks to oral histories and community. She utilises archives as a tool for re-imagining history. Making heavy use of the readymade to explore culture and rituals - what makes certain objects synonymous with “Blackness” and looking at the connections and connotations these objects draw on her identity.
[Image: Anisa Nuh-Ali, Transitions, 2016] @anisanuhlinga
This piece was in response to Nina Simone’s performance featuring a citation of text I read from Black Performance Theory by Thomas F. DeFrantz AND Anita Gonzalez.
The ball accelerating from side to side in the same repetitiveness and pace of Simone hitting the piano keys, getting quicker and gaining momentum, the drums, cheering crowd, her weary but soulful dancing. Having to perform, constantly, over and over again.
Nina Simone performing 1976, Montreux Jazz Festival
performing – dancing to drums, weary, soulful
Featuring an excerpt from Saidiya Hartman's Scenes of Subjection.
In my practice, I look at Black athleticism and culture, so as a subject I was drawn to and focused on Ephemera – as my two main themes where music and sport. I looked at how Black people are always expected to be public/perform - in entertainment, [sport and music] and how we are also expected to perform mental and emotional labour. How both Black trauma and joy are subjected to the white gaze. The materiality of Black life, and the commodified sporting and entertainment spectacle.
My time undertaking this research residency at the BCA has been affirming to me as a Black person in Britain, and having access to our histories. Archives have always been something that I have been engrossed by, but only got to work with digitally, so it was an overwhelming experience having access to the materials and store - especially seeing the objects that are non digitised. I hope to continue and further my research and produce a body of moving images, series of soundscapes and installations in response to performance, the Black spectacle and Black life.
Anisa has been researching our PHOTOS, BCA and EPHEMERA collections. For more information about accessing Black Cultural Archives collections, please visit blackculturalarchives.org/collections