Julianknxx: Choir in memory of the flight

It is with honor and pleasure that Metro54 opened this spring season with a thought-provoking exhibition by poet, artist and filmmaker Julianknxx, accompanied by a public program that offers a melody to life in the Black diaspora. The project marks the start of Metro54’s multi-year program, Seasons of Diasporic Life, which zooms in on the cultural practices of the Black diaspora and documents the ways in which artists and cultural producers address the urgency of Black social life and realities in Fortress , reflect deeply or imagine in a different way. Europe.

Julianknxx is a visual artist and poet based in London, whose artistic practice is rooted in poetry, which forms the basis for his cinematographic work and his collaborative performances. At Metro54, Choir in memory of the flight manifests as two immersive cinematographic environments that offer an intimate path to diaspora stories and everyday histories. Choir in memory of the flightwhich is not only the title of the show, but also a work that, through a musical and poetic chorus, interweaves various diaspora choirs and voices telling personal anecdotes and migration histories of their diaspora communities.

As a tribute to the city, where this project by Julianknxx started in 2021, he created a new work: “And if a tree sees it all.” This video installation is a poetic, cinematographic reflection on the making of memories, communal archiving and witnesses. ‘The tree that saw everything’ has been a silent witness and a powerful symbol of resilience and collective mourning in Amsterdam South-east since the Bijlmermeer disaster thirty years ago.

In addition to the two cinematographic works, this exhibition consists of performances, film screenings and conversations, which take place in collaboration with partner organizations such as Buro Stedelijk and Bijlmer Park Theater.

Upcoming meetings
May 16: Metro54 x Bijlmer Parktheater present: Resonant Harmony: Take me to church. About choirs and polyphonic voices in Amsterdam South East.

May 25: Final event Julianknxx @ Metro54: about Black Cinepoetics.

About Julianknxx
Julianknxx is a poet, performer and filmmaker. Julianknxx describes himself as someone ‘interested in people, looking for the connections between us’ and explores themes of loss, legacy and connection. Central to his work is the relationship between the body and the black psyche. Julianknxx is an artist in residence at 180 Studios in London and has exhibited at the Barbican, London (2023), Tate Modern, London (2023) and Art Basel Conversations: Sonic Performance, Basel (2023). Recent group exhibitions include Rites of Passage, Gagosian, London (2023).

About METRO54
Metro54 is a space for global sonic, cultural and artistic practices, gatherings, (un)learning, history, grassroots community work, spatial politics and transformative justice. Together with artists, thinkers, activists, neighbors, writers and hustlers, Metro54 organizes diverse programs, exhibition projects, collaborations, listening sessions, weekenders, research projects, conversations and acquisitions.

Information
Exhibition dates: March 23 to May 25, 2024 / Opening hours: Thursday to Saturday 12 noon – 5 p.m. / Location: Metro54, Westerdoksdijk 597, Amsterdam / Website / Entrance: free.

The exhibition is supported by the Mondriaan Fund and co-financed by the Barbican and WeTransfer in collaboration with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, with support from 180 Studios and De Singel.