In Conversation: Legacy Russell and Duro Olowu

On the occasion of ‘The New Bend’, join us at Hauser & Wirth London for a conversation between the curator of the exhibition Legacy Russell, Executive Director & Chief Curator of The Kitchen, and fashion designer Duro Olowu.

This free talk will reflect on the influence of Gee’s Bend and the ways in which Black diasporic practices of textile work have transformed the imaginations of abstraction and modernism across time.

Welcome drinks will be served from 6 pm, with the talk starting promptly at 6.30 pm. Although this event is free to attend, please book your tickets in advance.

About ‘The New Bend’ Curated by Legacy Russell, ‘The New Bend’ is on view at Hauser & Wirth Somerset until Monday 8 May, having traveled from our galleries in Downtown Los Angeles and New York. The exhibition brings together 12 contemporary artists working in the raced, classed and gendered traditions of quilting and textile practice. Their unique visual vernacular exists in tender dialogue with, and in homage to, the contributions of the Gee’s Bend Alabama quilters – Black American women in collective cooperation and creative economic production – and their enduring legacy as a radical meeting place, a prompt and as intergenerational inspiration.

About Legacy Russell Legacy Russell is a curator and writer. Born and raised in New York, she is the Executive Director & Chief Curator of The Kitchen. Russell’s academic, curatorial and creative work focuses on gender, performance, digital selfdom, internet idolatry and new media ritual. Her written work, interviews and essays have been published internationally. Her first book, ‘Glitch Feminism: A Manifesto’ was published in 2020. Her second book, ‘BLACK MEME,’ is forthcoming via Verso Books. Russell received the Thoma Foundation Arts Writing Award in Digital Art in 2019, was a Rauschenberg Residency Fellow in 2020 and received the Creative Capital Award in 2021.

About Duro Olowu Duro Olowu is a Nigerian-born British fashion designer and curator. He is best known for his innovative combinations of patterns and textiles that draw inspiration from his international background. In 2004, he launched his eponymous women’s wear label and was awarded ‘New Designer of the Year Award’ at the British Fashion Awards in 2005. In the 2010s, he also began curating contemporary art exhibitions to critical acclaim, beginning with ‘Material’ (2012) and ‘More Material’ (2014) at the Salon94 gallery in New York, as well as ‘Making & Unmaking’ (2016) at the Camden Arts Centre in London. In 2020, he became The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago’s first guest curator in the institution’s 50-year history with ‘Duro Olowu: Seeing Chicago’. More recently, Olowu curated the exhibition ‘Duro Olowu Selects: Works From the Permanent Collection’ at the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York. He continues to show his bi-annual womenswear collections at London Fashion week.

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Please be advised that filming will be taken at this event for use on the Hauser & Wirth website, social media and in other marketing materials.