Before Anyone Else
by Mohamed Bourouissa (2021)
Boy.Brother.Friend, the London-based magazine founded by stylist and editor KK Obi, is hosting a three-day exhibition in collaboration with Burberry and Riccardo Tisci.
Before Anyone Else is set to bring together the work of 45 international artists with an array of live events spotlighting Obi’s creative community at large. Across mediums including drawing, sculpture, photography, video, fashion and music, the exhibition will also commemorate the publication’s forthcoming third issue, an exploration of migration and movement playing out in Marseille, Paris and other Francophone countries around the globe.
Asking what follows after diaspora, and how Black diasporic voices can connect beyond borders, the exhibition at its core explores the concept of Black transnationalism through themes of exile, displacement, ancestry and resistance. The space will see daily talks held with the likes of stylist and Editor Ibrahim Kamara, artist Sandra Poulson and poet Victoria Adukwei Bulley, with Obi also inviting Prim Black, a pioneering digital platform-cum-library, to curate a selection of texts that share Black stories and experiences with the exhibition’s attendees.
As if that wasn’t enough, Boy.Brother.Friend have also rustled up a star-studded roster of performances set to debut at Burberry’s Thomas’ Cafe, including musical offerings from pioneering talents such as Shygirl, CKTRL and Ms. Carrie Stacks. In other words, this is definitely not one to be missed.
Running from 19th November – 21st, tickets for Before Anyone Else are available to book here