Go On Being So

Works that say something about the world today

Go On Being So is curated by the MBA Collective, a group of art, photography and graphics students from Mounts Bay Academy aged between 12 and 16 years.

An incidental conversation between the 14 students around what it means to be a global citizen was the starting point for their exploration of the Arts Council Collection, bringing together an intriguing selection of works that say something about the world today and their place in it.

Artists include Larry Achiampong & David Blandy, Claudette Johnson, Young In Hong, and Ross Sinclair.

MBA Collective looked for works which resonated with them, while also considering pieces that illustrated issues other young people in different parts of the world may be facing.

“We chose works that said something about big issues for us personally, and are universal to people of our age, such as mental health and equality,” explained the Collective.

The title Go On Being So refers to their quest for strength and resilience; “things might not be too good but there’s still life, you’re still living, there’s still beauty in it”, as demonstrated in works such as Karl Ohiri’s How to Mend A Broken Heart, and Rod Dickinson’s Egg Bag, while also acting as a provocation, considering works such as Gavin Jantjes’ Freedom Hunters and Donald Rodney’s Self Portrait: Black Men Public Enemy; “it then becomes a challenge: Go On Being So – Can we? Should we?”

MBA Collective, Nov 2019

Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange is an Arts Council Collection National Partner. The Arts Council Collection is managed by Southbank Centre, London on behalf of Arts Council England.