What drew you to each other’s practice?
Tolu and Jenny began working together at ‘BRINK’ residency in Margate as part of the 2021 Margate Pride Arts Trail. Here they wanted to collaborate and explore what it would be like to combine each others practice. They chose to work together through improvisation and spontaneous play, drawing on elements of their respective practices in an intuitive and non choreographed way.
Why did you choose the idea you will be working on?
At the time of the residency we were invited to explore what it means to be “on the brink”. This formed the starting point for our collaborative work. We began to think about and explore the idea of an energetic exchange of intimacy between two people and felt this was particularly important as a means of expression for ourselves as queer people. This initiated the way in which we began working together non verbally with paint and movement, something new and exciting to us both that we wish to continue.
What is the one thing you most hope to gain from undertaking this work?
We hope to refine our concept and the work we are developing. We most hope to gain a deepening of our work together and to play further with different ways in which we can continue to combine our practices of painting and performance.
Tolu Oshodi is a performer and visual artist whose practice combines movement, photography & film. She is also a part of the London Ballroom Scene as a member of the UK Chapter of the House of Revlon wherein theoretical interests behind her movement practice are based in black sexual politics, exploration and liberation. More general themes in her work inquire into notions of self, identity, relationships & community. She has recently been working on a visual study of the body and the relationship between the regeneration of skin cells supposedly creating a new version of oneself periodically, and what this might mean conceptually in regards to the physical encounters we have in our lifetime.
Jenny Boat is a multidisciplinary visual artist based in East London their work explores queerness and identity and is a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. They work primarily with painting and illustration. They have recently worked on a series of painted portraits celebrating LGBTQ+ people in childhood. They make regular illustrated posters for queer club nights including the Drag night ‘Fussy’ and ‘Thirst Trap’ at LGBTQ+ bar The Glory. They are now working on a series of paintings which capture queer joy as a radical act.
