*UPDATE: Sekai’s work has been torn down in an act of racist vandalism. We will be working alongside Sharing Not Hoarding and Sekai to share and help platform their response in the near future.

Thanks to quick and meaningful crowdfunding effort, the works will be posted back up ASAP. Meanwhile, you can donate to the Black Lives Matter Mural Trail here, and share a message of support.*

The Scottish Black Lives Matter Mural Trail comes to Dundee with artwork by Sekai Machache, a Dundee resident and DJCAD graduate.

This exhibition presents 2 interpretation posters and 16 portraits of Black people based in Scotland wearing face masks designed in collaboration with Dundee-based artist Fiona Catherine Powell.

The masks were made using a collection of vibrantly coloured African fabrics. By choosing to have the participants wear brightly patterned masks the exhibition advocates the importance of wearing face masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19 whilst highlighting the relationship between systemic racism and healthcare. Reports on the COVID-19 pandemic have shown that Black and Asian communities in the UK have been made disproportionately vulnerable to this virus and so in many ways the call to citizens to wear a mask to prevent the spread of coronavirus has become yet another aspect of the BLM movement.

“BLM as a movement extends far beyond police brutality into every aspect of Black lives. It is important to understand the ways in which systemic anti-Blackness affects the quality of life, access to adequate healthcare and life expectancy of Black people.

We stand in solidarity with Black people around the world. We are imploring everyone to understand that All Lives cannot matter as long as some of us continue to be excluded from the ‘All’.”

— Sekai Machache

The Scottish Black Lives Matter Mural Trail was conceived by Edinburgh-based producer Wezi Mhura (Iron Oxide, Struileag (Commonwealth Games 2014), AfriFest, Edinburgh International Festival) a specialist in large scale events.

Sharing Not Hoarding provides an ideal context to bring the Scottish Black Lives Matter Mural Trail to Dundee. Based in Dundee’s Waterfront Development and facing onto Slessor Gardens, visitors can engage with the work up close and personal whilst maintaining outdoor social distancing measures.