Rudy Loewe presents a new large-scale installation titled, 'The Reckoning'

Jamaica Street, Liverpool L1

Rudy Loewe presents a new large-scale installation based on the artist’s painting ‘February 1970, Trinidad #1′, which depicts Moko jumbie (a stilt walker) and other Carnival mas players (participants who wear masquerade costumes and march in the parade) coming to the aid of the people at a moment of Black Power revolution in Trinidad and Tobago.

For Liverpool Biennial 2023, these spirits are transported to the site of The Old Dock, constructed in the 18th century. Here, they confront Britain’s colonial legacy which reverberates into our present. The piece harnesses the natural elements of light and wind to playfully demand attention, casting shadows on this history and the reckoning that is yet to happen.

The work also engages with the Sailors’ Home Gateway, located on Paradise Street, a freestanding monument to the since demolished Liverpool Sailors’ Home. The Home operated as a sanctuary for sailors passing through the city and provided affordable accommodation as well as educational and recreational opportunities. Loewe aims to visualise Black histories and social politics through their work, particularly focusing on a critique of Britain’s role in suppressing Black Power organising in the English-speaking Caribbean during the 1960s and 70s. ‘The Reckoning’ acts as a portal to imagine and learn about these histories; it is a manifestation of power, but not the kind that oppresses.

 

Produced for Liverpool Biennial 2023, with support from Liverpool ONE.