BILLY
DOSANJH
ABOUT COMmISSION
The Exiles
Using filmic principles - large-scale lighting, sets and cinematic references - Billy has recreated a scene from the 60s and 70s, a time when thousands of male economic migrants arrived in the blue-collar region of Sandwell, in the last throes of its industrial might.
The Exiles is an ongoing project that searches for meaning in these men’s futures; a resurrection of the ghosts of hardworking lives. The work is a personal tribute to every displaced person, an attempt to peer into their spirits.
Billy will present a single photographic image from The Exiles as part of the Blast! Festival.
WHEN
24.05.2019 – 29.06.2019
Opening times:
Thurs - Sat: 11AM - 3PM
WHERE
Smethwick Heritage Centre, Victoria Park Lodge, High St, B66 3NJ
ARTIST BIO
Billy Dosanjh is a visual artist and documentary-filmmaker whose work investigates race and the working class diasporas in and around Smethwick, the de-industrialised factory town where he grew up. His work explores the personal stories of early immigrant life in the Black Country and points to their lack of representation in mainstream culture. Dosanjh received the Satyajit Ray Award and was shortlisted for a Grierson Award. Recent exhibitions include New Art Exchange, Nottingham, UK; and Art India, Mumbai. In 2018, he participated in the Flatpack Festival, Birmingham, UK.