Display of new Glasgow Life Museums acquisition reflects on the experience of soldiers from across the Commonwealth during WW1
Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) has announced its next main gallery exhibition, John Akomfrah’s Mimesis: African Soldier, which reflects on the experience of soldiers from across the Commonwealth in World War 1.
The display aims to highlight the significant contribution of over six million African, Caribbean and South Asian people from across former colonies who fought, served, and died in the war.
Fittingly, the exhibition opens to the public in the closing days of Black History Month, and just two weeks before Remembrance Sunday, which this year commemorates 110 years since the start of World War 1.
Mimesis: African Soldier is shown across three screens, which allow us to see different perspectives and narratives at the same time. The screens display archival footage and reimagined contemporary views of historical military experiences alongside still life [nature morte] scenes, with flowing water running over objects, flags and photographs related to the soldiers. Akomfrah uses montage techniques and bricolage, weaving together new footage with archival material and still photography. This poetic approach to history and archives draws attention to overlooked stories, Britain’s historical role in conflict across the colonies, and the impact on people of colour today.
There is no spoken narrative in the work, instead poignant quotes, an emotive soundscape including song, and words (such as disenchantment, disgust, rude awakening) appear on the screen to function as pauses or titles interspersing the powerful images and archives that we are witness to. These words encapsulate what we are seeing unfold before us and echo the soldiers’ journey and conscription into a war that is not of their making.
“Whatever the life is that you have got as a person of colour, we have arrived at that life in large part because of sacrifices made by people from elsewhere who are very rarely acknowledged and it is important that they are.” John Akomfrah, 2018.
Mimesis: African Soldier was presented jointly to Glasgow Life Museums and Bristol Museum by Art Fund and 14-18 NOW, the UK's arts programme for the First World War centenary. The important acquisition for Glasgow Life Museums, joins the collection in the same year that Akomfrah, a hugely celebrated artist and filmmaker, represented Great Britain at the Venice Biennale. The exhibition of Mimesis: African Soldier at GoMA marks the first time it has been shown in Scotland.
About the artist
Sir John Akomfrah CBE RA lives and works in London as an artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member of the influential Black Audio Film Collective, which started in London in 1982 alongside artists David Lawson and Lina Gopaul, who he still collaborates with today alongside Ashitey Akomfrah as Smoking Dogs Films. He represented Great Britain at the Venice Biennale 2024.
Akomfrah explores personal and collective histories, cultural identity, and the experiences of Black British and global migrant diasporas through his work.
He combines archival footage with his contemporary film and soundscapes to shed light on lives and experiences often hidden by a more dominant colonial narrative. His non-linear approach raises questions about how the past affects present tensions, racism and inequality in society.
Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow, G1 3AH
26 October 2024 – 31 August 2025
Monday – Thursday and Saturday 10 – 5, Friday and Sunday 11 -5
Free admission
All images are stills from John Akomfrah; Mimesis : African Soldier, 2018. Courtesy Smoking Dogs Films and Lisson Gallery.
Presented by Art Fund and 14-18 NOW, the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary, to Bristol Museum and Art Gallery and Glasgow Life Museums, Mimesis: African Soldier was commissioned by 14-18 NOW, with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England and the Department for Digital Culture Media and Sport, New Art Exchange, Nottingham and Smoking Dogs Films, with additional support from Sharjah Art Foundation.