Six Acts, 2018, Video
- Medium
- Six channel HD colour video installation with sound. Duration: 15 minutes.
- Dimensions
- Dimensions variable.
For her first retrospective exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery in 2018, Sonia Boyce worked with the gallery team, invited artist-collaborators and gallery visitors to produce a new commission that would explore how the politics of gender, race and sexuality in the gallery’s 18th and 19th century painting displays could be reconsidered for today.
Six Acts began with a conversation. In Spring 2017, a series of group discussions led by the artist with members of the gallery team developed around the gallery collection, how it is displayed and interpreted, with particular focus on the displays of 18th and 19th century artworks, which have remained the same since the gallery re-opened in 2002. The conversations expanded to include gallery staff, volunteers, gallery visitors and artist-collaborators. The process culminated in an evening gallery takeover in January 2018, where the artist invited several drag performers to respond to a number of artworks on display in the galleries.
Wearing a long white dress, artist Lasana Shabazz performed in response to a number of artworks on display to fictionalise the character of Ira Aldridge, a renowned 19th century Shakespearan actor, stepping out of his portrait Othello the Moor of Venice, 1826, by James Northcote. Drag, an acronym for ‘dressed resembling a girl’ and also thought to refer to the weight of a skirt dragging on the floor, is often associate with the Shakespearan period of theatre when female roles were exclusively performed by males. Aldridge was the first black actor to play white roles and would ‘white up’ or paint his face white to play characters such as Macbeth, Shylock and King Lear. As part of his performance, Shabazz sang Camptown Races, written by Stephen Foster in 1850 to mock the speech patterns of African – Americans. It later became the basis for a football chant Two World Wars and One World Cup after England won the World Cup against West Germany in 1966.
Contemporary drag artists Anna Phylactic, Cheddar Gorgeous, Liquorice Black and Venus Vienna were invited to respond to artworks of their choice and the title of one of the galleries, In Pursuit of Beauty.
One of the six performative acts that night was the temporary take down of a painting, Hylas and the Nymphs, 1896, by JW Waterhouse, replacing it with a series of questions and deliberately leaving a space to encourage further conversation.
The takeover was filmed and documented, resulting in the six channel installation Six Acts, where each of the six screens represents an ‘act’ that took place during the gallery takeover; the five performances by invited artists and the temporary removal of the painting.
Related theme: Sound / Singing
Judah
2025
Two in motion together (Ere & Toyin)
2025
Merriment Lights
2025
Backlit
2025
Silhouette
2025
Michael & swishing braids 03
2025
Orange scarf (Sola)
2025
Green light (Kate)
2025
Entering the Disco
2025
Purple Lights (Lisa)
2025
Hands up
2025
Michael & swishing braids 02
2025
Grey Jumper
2025
Well done
2025
Michael & swishing braids 01
2025
BENEVOLENCE
2024
Put Your Hands Together
2024
In the Mix: Alexandra B’s Dress
2022
On My Way
2022
FEELING HER WAY
2022
In the Mix: Shirley Songs
2022
In the Mix: Skunk Sputnik
2022
Ain't Misbehavin'
2022
In the Mix: Hippy Liberty
2022
In the Mix: Disciples Together
2022
In the Mix: Mel & Kim Respect
2022
Sheila Chandra / Ever so lonely MONSOON
2021
P. P. Arnold / Just call me angel of the morning
2021
Miss Elizabeth Welch 1933 – 1940 / a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square
2021
Shirley Bassey / Goldfinger
2021
Polystyrene / X-ray Spex OH BONDAGE UP YOURS!
2021
Sade / The Sweetest Taboo
2021
Six Acts
2018
Just One Minute More
2016-2022
Exquisite Cacophony
2015
Plastic
2013
Move
2013
Gather:Justicia
2010
Oh Adelaide (with Ain Bailey)
2010
Is this Love That I’m Feeling?
2010
Taken
2009
Devotional Wallpaper and Placards
2008 - 2018
Drift
2008
For you, only you
2007
1930s to 1960s – The Rivington Place Portfolio
2006
Devotional II
2005
Devotional, 2004
2004
Lover's Rock
1998
Related theme: Performance
Green light (Kate)
2025
Merriment Lights
2025
Backlit
2025
Michael & swishing braids 01
2025
Orange scarf (Sola)
2025
Michael & swishing braids 03
2025
Entering the Disco
2025
Grey Jumper
2025
Purple Lights (Lisa)
2025
Hands up
2025
Michael & swishing braids 02
2025
Silhouette
2025
Judah
2025
Two in motion together (Ere & Toyin)
2025
BENEVOLENCE
2024
Put Your Hands Together
2024
Family Gorgeous Smudged
2022
On My Way
2022
FEELING HER WAY
2022
In the Mix: Shirley Songs
2022
In the Mix: Skunk Sputnik
2022
Ain't Misbehavin'
2022
In the Mix: Hippy Liberty
2022
Yes, I Hear You
2022
In the Mix: Disciples Together
2022
In the Mix: Mel & Kim Respect
2022
In the Mix: Alexandra B’s Dress
2022
P. P. Arnold / Just call me angel of the morning
2021
Polystyrene / X-ray Spex OH BONDAGE UP YOURS!
2021
Sade / The Sweetest Taboo
2021
Miss Elizabeth Welch 1933 – 1940 / a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square
2021
Sheila Chandra / Ever so lonely MONSOON
2021
Shirley Bassey / Goldfinger
2021
Six Acts
2018
The Audition
1997 - printed 2018
We move in her way
2017
Paper Tiger Whisky Soap Theatre (Dada Nice)
2016
Just One Minute More
2016-2022
Exquisite Cacophony
2015
Move
2013
Dance of Belém
2011
Oh Adelaide (with Ain Bailey)
2010
Gather:Justicia
2010
Taken
2009
Devotional Wallpaper and Placards
2008 - 2018
Drift
2008
For you, only you
2007
Crop Over
2007
1930s to 1960s – The Rivington Place Portfolio
2006
Exquisite Tension
2006
Devotional II
2005
Devotional, 2004
2004
Related theme: Participatory / Collaboration
Silhouette
2025
Merriment Lights
2025
Hands up
2025
Michael & swishing braids 02
2025
Michael & swishing braids 01
2025
Orange scarf (Sola)
2025
Judah
2025
Green light (Kate)
2025
Backlit
2025
Michael & swishing braids 03
2025
Two in motion together (Ere & Toyin)
2025
Entering the Disco
2025
Grey Jumper
2025
Purple Lights (Lisa)
2025
BENEVOLENCE
2024
Family Gorgeous Smudged
2022
FEELING HER WAY
2022
Ain't Misbehavin'
2022
Yes, I Hear You
2022
In the Castle of My Skin
2020 - 2021
The Audition in Colour
1997 - printed 2020
Six Acts
2018
The Audition
1997 - printed 2018
We move in her way
2017
Paper Tiger Whisky Soap Theatre (Dada Nice)
2016
Exquisite Cacophony
2015
Move
2013
Dance of Belém
2011
Oh Adelaide (with Ain Bailey)
2010
Gather:Justicia
2010
Taken
2009
Devotional Wallpaper and Placards
2008 - 2018
Drift
2008
Crop Over
2007
For you, only you
2007
Exquisite Tension
2006
Devotional II
2005
Devotional, 2004
2004
Tongues
1997
Untitled (Kiss)
1995
They're Almost Like Twins
1995