We are delighted to announce that three works by Sharif Persaud have been acquired by the Arts Council Collection – Paintings: ‘Gangrene’ and ‘Self Portrait’ were selected along with video work ‘The Mask’.
Sharif has a long association with Project Art Works and has been a key contributor to our creative output over the past 10 years – his involvement with PAW traces back to some of our earliest schools’ projects. Placing himself at the centre of his work, Sharif uses different art forms; video, writing, drawing, painting and printing, to reflect the narrative of his life. Through this we see the world from his idiosyncratic perspective, the different forces that have impacted him in the past, and how these shape his thoughts about the future.
In 2020 Sharif had a solo exhibition at Autograph gallery in London, showing works he had created during a rich seam of production at the PAW studios between 2014-2020. The exhibition, which featured all three works acquired by Arts Council Collection, then travelled to the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill in 2021.
Mark Sealy – exhibition curator and Director of Autograph said: “Autograph believes that visual representation is a powerful force for change, and we are delighted that Sharif’s first solo exhibition has a further life at such a fitting cultural centre as the De La Warr Pavilion. Have You Ever Had celebrates Sharif’s artistic vision and aims to challenge the historic lack of neurodiverse representation in cultural institutions.”
The Arts Council Collection supports and promotes British art and artists by acquiring works at early or critical stages in artits’ careers. With a focus on innovative work made by artists living in Britain, our acquisitions policy is characterised by a spirit of risk taking combined with an informed appraisal of current practices.
Exhibitions
In The Realm of Others – De La Warr Pavilion, 2015-2016
Have You Ever Had – Solo Exhibition, Autograph, 2020
Have You Ever Had – Solo Exhibition, De La Warr Pavilion, 2021
Illuminating the Wilderness – 2019 (screenings worldwide)
Awards
Spectrum Art Award, 2020
Paul Hamlyn Artist Award, 2021
The Mask
Oska Bright Film Festival – Brighton 2017 (Winner Best Story)
Film Bath UK Festival – 2020
The Other Film Festival – Melbourne 2018
Discover Film Awards festival – London 2017
Leeds Film Festival – 2022
BFI Collection – Disabled Britain on Film