ARLENE WANDERA

SAFE PLAY... (2009)
Childrens climbing frame & Slide, Cotton wool, Cling film

SAFE PLAY... (detail)

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Arlene Wandera was born in Nairobi and raised in London. She studied at Camberwell College of Arts and the Slade School of Fine Art, London.
Arlene’s practice is driven by her desire to provoke thought and debate on a range of socio-political subject matter namely social etiquette (in gallery contexts), social etiquette in (public contexts) multiculturalism, political correctness and much more.
She places herself in different situations or locations in order to observe, collect stories and document her immediate world, then “flirts” with a range of processes and materials to establish the context for her observations.
The end result is usually a performance, installation, photograph, print, sculpture, workshop, sound piece, video, or drawing...

Recent exhibitions:
Family and Culture: Past and Present (group show), Slack Space, Colchester, 2009
The 7000-year old Woman (reenactment), Tate Modern, London, 2009
Enterprise 09 (performance festival), the Space, London, 2009
In the Flesh Festival, (group show), Barbican Theatre, Plymouth, 2008
EEC Platform,(group show), Queen Mary University, London, 2008
InterAlia, (group show), High Chelmer shopping Centre, Chelmsford, Essex, 2008
AIR, (group show), Morley Gallery, London, 2007
"...There is nothing to be ashamed of in choosing happiness..." (international group show), UeL , 2006
Kukhu, (Performance commissioned by Brent Artist’s Resource), Willesden Green Gallery & Fresh Festival at Hastings, 2006.

Current /Recent projects include:
Obama Kids Project", Greenstead Community Centre, Colchester, Essex, 2009
Gascoigne Story Project", Gascoigne Primary School, Barking, Essex, 2009
"Holyland Adventures", Palestine/Israel, 2008

KUKHU
(Touring Performance since 2006)

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BLACK LADY BELOW - Part I - III (2005-2008),
“Black Lady Below” is a trio-series exploring notions of communication on a social and personal level.

PART 1: Various Performances on the tube, 2005 & 2008

PART 2: Inkjet Print, 96cm x 110cm, 2006

PART 3: Public Artwork, 2008

EXULTATION! (2007)
Mixed-media miniature sculptures
smallest (10cm x 3cm x 20cm), largest (22cm x 22cm x 38 cm )
“Exultation!” consists of 10 mixed-media sculptures inspiredby a four month residency in a timber cabin workshop in Romford, Essex. The sculptures depict everyman figures, engaged in challenging situations that are comedic and tragic, playful and haunting, thus highlighting the experience of being human particularly in our current climate.

EXULTATION! - Individual Sculptures(2007)
(CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE)