ME 2 U: A collective manifesto; Baesianz presents the 2022 Bow Open

13 May-7 Aug 2022

Overview

How do we enrich our lives and sustain a positive, healthy mindset? 

This is the question at the heart of London-based art collective Baesianz’s curation of the 2022 Bow Open, as they investigate the tools, rituals and routines that provide us with joy, growth and grounding.

In ME 2 U: A collective manifesto, Baesianz have called upon Bow Arts artists to share their methods of survival, in an ode to the ceremony of togetherness and the resourcefulness found not just within oneself, but in community too.  

As the only show in the Nunnery Gallery’s annual programme that presents work exclusively from Bow Arts’ pool of over 400 artists, the Bow Open is a great opportunity to discover more about the practices and talent that lies within our studios. Through the ME 2 U manifesto, this year’s edition will be a collection of works, threaded together with stories of “blossoming, preservation, knowledge, nurture, tradition, and healing”. 

In Baesianz’s own words: 

“Since time began, humans have developed an abundance of rituals and routines that provide joy, growth and grounding; ways to survive. Whether shared generationally, passed around in community, or discovered along the way on individual paths — it’s the sharing of these rituals which enable us as a species to find moments of ease and joy during our time on this planet. 

ME 2 U began on our platform as a way to share personal items chosen by our contributors; a book, a film, a song, a recipe, whatever it may be, to cultivate a space of co-learning… 

…Artists' contributions, whether in the form of an artwork or performance, share the message of personal tools carried in daily life — the acts or objects which bring happiness to their lives. They are the things we take with us as we move to a new city; the amulets we wear for protection. They are the recipes handed to us from our parents; the love letters we write to ourselves and friends.” 

Full list of exhibiting artists to be announced in late-April 2022. 

About Baesianz: 

Baesianz is a London-based collective and platform that celebrates Asian artists from all over the globe, founded by Sami Kimberley, Sarah Khan and Roxanne Farahmand, with Asian origins spanning China, Pakistan and Iran.  By producing, curating and exhibiting the art and voices of Asians living both within and outside of Asia, we aim to create an evolving library that can be experienced by all. We asked ourselves: in which ways have our lives been impacted by ideas around multiculturalism and integration? How can the creative outputs of Asians be celebrated in a contemporary landscape without tokenism or marginalisation? Where do we go to creatively replenish our roots? Baesianz was our answer.  

baesianz.com