Kevin Dalton-Johnson at Bankley Studios

Kevin has been a resident and active artist in Manchester for about 20 years. He is a member of the Black Arts Alliance. As part of this Organisation, he has exhibited at numerous venues in Manchester and has led numerous workshops, using his skills as teaching of pupils with special needs. The work produced by Kevin deal with issues of race, sexuality, religion and identity. “The Morning After”, is a multi-media piece that chronicles the loss of family after coming out and shows his brother and sister, whom he has not seen for 20 years. The second piece, “Listen”, shows Kevin at the age of 8, with a letter from his mother, who disowned him because of his sexuality.

In addition to the above, Kevin has also successfully completed several commissions. “Captured Africans”, is a public art commission for Lancaster Council. It is a permanent memorial to the Africans who were transported on board Lancaster ships, which was unveiled in October 2005 on Columbus Day. His previous powerful sculpted works have addressed issues of contemporary racism and black Atlantic history and his design for the monument continued in this vein. It is the first specifically designed permanent memorial artwork to enslaved Africans at a British quayside site. It is sited in a prime spot with wonderful historical resonances on the quayside itself in the shadow of the recently completed Millennium Bridge.