Curtis Holder appointed artist in residence at Leeds Art Gallery as part of UAL Decolonising Arts Institute’s 20/20 project

I am excited to share that I’ll be joining Leeds Art Gallery as artist-in-residence over the next 15 months to create a new work for the gallery’s permanent collection.

The residency is part of UAL Decolonising Arts Institute’s 20/20 programme, which is supporting 20 artists to take up residencies in 20 public art collections, galleries and museums across the UK.

Leeds Art Gallery is home to a vibrant, evolving collection of modern and contemporary British art, as well as dynamic exhibition and education programmes which reflect the city’s diverse communities. Recent exhibitions have explored the representation of people of African, Caribbean and Asian descent and featured inspirational artists such as Barbara Walker, Charmaine Watkiss and Sonia Boyce. 

I feel incredibly fortunate to be working with the gallery and to be able to contribute to this vital conversation around decolonisation and the representation of minority communities in our museums and galleries.

During the residency I’ll produce a new piece of work in response to the gallery’s collection. The final commission will become part of the permanent collection in Leeds and a limited edition print of the work will be acquired by the other 19 institutions taking part in the initiative. 

The 20/20 project was created by the UAL Decolonising Arts Institute in response to urgent calls for action within arts and culture in the wake of Black Lives Matter. The project works in partnership with 20 UK public collections, museums and galleries, and is supported by funding from Freelands Foundation, Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants Programme and UAL.