As part of the Women on Aeroplanes exhibition at The Showroom in 2018, Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum was commissioned to create the first full-scale mural on The Showroom’s façade. Originally conceived for the exhibition, it went on to become the first in an ongoing cycle of annual mural commissions.

For the project Phatsimo Sunstrum was inspired by South African writer Bessie Head (1937-1986). Head rejected the brutality of apartheid by exiling herself to the village of Serowe in Botswana. Titled Exalt B.H. Sunstrum’s mural envelopes the facade of The Showroom with a view of Serowe’s landscape dominated by an ever-present sky, a significant element in Bessie Head’s oeuvre. Weaving in and out of this expanse of blue are Head’s words from Earth and Everything: ‘I am building a stairway to the stars. I have the authority to take the whole of mankind up there with me. That is why I write.’

Women on Aeroplanes also included new work by artists Lungiswa Gqunta and Emma Wolukau-Wanambwa, and was part of a wider project exploring the largely unrecognised role of women in struggles for liberation, their participation in transatlantic networks, and their key voices in revolutionary socio-political movements that helped to achieve post-colonial nation-states in Africa.

ABOUT THE SHOWROOM MURAL COMMISSION

The Showroom Mural Commission is a unique opportunity for artists to activate the building’s emblematic facade. Once a year, an international artist works in collaboration with members of communities around the Church Street Ward to create artwork for the mural, complemented by public programming that includes a series of community-engaging events and workshops.
Our approach is unique in how we foster strong, long-term relationships and consider everyone involved as collaborators. Trust and mindful consideration of the project’s impact are central to our way of working. Some groups and individuals are starting to participate in projects within our broader programme, and in some cases are taking on a more proactive role within artistic productions.
Our programme emphasises collaborative and process-driven approaches to production, encompassing artwork, exhibitions, events, discussions, publications, knowledge sharing, and relationships. We engage with artists and practitioners, including those who are new to the London art scene and international artists. Additionally, we work closely with groups and individuals in our local community who we bring together to work in partnership with artists on specific projects and commissions that contribute to the programme. Public events and workshops form part of these commissions, alongside a programme of publishing, research and events including discussions, screenings, panels, book launches and performances.