Visitros can step into a digital world with Wolverhampton Art Gallery's first immersive exhibition of the year.

Opens from  Saturday 14 January until Sunday 16 April, Shemza Digital: Across Generations uses Anwar Jalal Shemza’s work as a starting point beside the contemporary practice of Aphra Shemza, the artist’s granddaughter.

It continues Shemza’s aesthetic exploration of abstract form and extends his legacy for current and future generations. Launched in collaboration with the computer artist Stuart Batchelor, the project highlights the importance of migrant artists in British art history and celebrates diversity in our increasingly polarised political climate.

The exhibition features participatory digital projections where you can create your own digital paintings. These will become part of the ever evolving archive of work and will be exhibited in the gallery space, whilst interactive architectural light sculptures respond to visitors’ movements. A specially commissioned soundscape by NYX and Petit Oiseau accompanies the visual work, fusing traditional South Asian instruments with drone and ambient electronic sounds.

Tthe exhibition also brings together works by Anwar Jalal Shemza on loan from the artist’s Estate and works from Wolverhampton Art Gallery’s permanent collection. An archival display gives historical context to the project in relation to post war British art and the impact of migration on contemporary British art today.

This is a hybrid exhibition featuring an in person experience at Wolverhampton Art Gallery and a cutting edge online version on the gallery's website which can be explored from anywhere in the world.

The project is supported by the Arts Council England. Private patrons are Taimur Hassan, Hales Gallery, Amrita Jhaveri, ZVM Rangoonwala Foundation and Olivia Aubry.

Shemza Digital: Across Generations at Wolverhampton Art Gallery is free to visit. More information on the exhibition plus events and activities is at wolverhamptonart.org.uk.

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