On 15th April 2021, Gazelli represented artist Khaleb Brooks premiered his film Black Boys Can Swim, which was followed by a Q&A with the artist. The evocative film highlights black people's relationship with water tracing the history of segregation, financial disparity and fear that can be linked to the Middle Passage which has left multiple generations in the African diaspora fearful of water. The beautiful film aims to tackle stereotypes that "Black people can't swim" by engaging with the Lamu community in Kenya where the community has a positive exchange with the sea.
We are deeply disappointed to report that the Zoom talk was hacked and interrupted with racial slurs. Due to the poor audio quality of the hacker, at the time the audience could not make out what was being said, only after examining the recording was the content revealed.
The staff of Gazelli Art House are vehemently against this violence and extend our greatest apologies to both Khaleb and to our community. Moving forwards the gallery will adapt our talks to a Webinar format to ensure there is no misconduct. We hope to continue to be a safe space for all and to provide a platform for global creativity.
Trigger Warning: racial abuse
Khaleb Brooks in Conversation | Black Boys Can Swim from Gazelli Art House on Vimeo.
