Exhibiting artists:
Arabel Lebrusan, Mira Hirtz, Charlie Fitz, Latifah A. Stranack and Naomi Harwin
Curated by: Celina Loh
In Transit is delighted to present ‘Cura’, its first in-venue exhibition in Manchester at Smolensky Gallery, accompanied by an online exhibition.
What roles can artists play in improving access to the arts? How might artists inspire us to act more caringly and equitably?
Cura takes from the Latin word which means ‘to take care’ or ‘to help’. Cura showcases the work of women artists Arabel Lebrusan, Charlie Fitz, Latifah A. Stranack, Mira Hirtz and Naomi Harwin. These artists undertook In Transit’s residency where they explored how access can be a creative and intellectual consideration in their practice – moving past the checklist for meeting the needs of disabled audiences in museums and galleries.
Accessibility means that disabled people can do what they need to do in a similar amount of time and effort as someone that does not have a disability. It means that people are empowered, can be independent, and will not be frustrated by products and services that are poorly designed or implemented. In Cura, we use accessibility to ask questions about how things are made and try to change it.
Cura brings together paintings, prints, sculptures and installations that unpack matters of care from the personal to the collective. The artworks range from lived experience with disability and chronic illness, slowing down in busy environments, women’s experience in relation to nature and strategies of bearing witness and evoking empathy. The artists have produced the works with creative audio descriptions and used multisensory approaches – this means beyond seeing, you can listen, touch and be a part of some of the works. Together, the artists and their works propose more caring ways of being and making.
This exhibition is more than a display of art; it is a living research experiment. We invite you to be part of the process, to learn alongside us, and to help us test the effectiveness of creative access on audience engagement.
The online exhibition is available on www.intransit.space/exhibitions/cura
This exhibition is supported using public funding by Arts Council England.
