Artist Talk: Cephas Williams

Cephas Williams is in conversation with Factory International Artistic Director John McGrath at The Social, Aviva Studios on Saturday 17 October, from 3pm to 4pm. The talk takes place in front of Portrait of Black Britain, Williams' large-scale archive that asks: 'What does it mean to be Black, living in the UK?'.

It's a project that started in the city. It was originally commissioned for the Manchester International Festival in 2021, when 116 portraits were installed in the Arndale Centre at a time when conversations about Black communities had moved to the centre of public life following the murder of George Floyd. Since then, the archive has grown to 228 portraits, including nine new works, and Williams is aiming for 1,000. The focus is on a broad spectrum of Black British life rather than just high-profile figures, and it sits alongside his other projects, 56 Black Men, Letter to Zion and The Black Network.

The show was commissioned by Factory International and co-produced with Williams. The New York Times called it 'powerful' and Culturall described it as 'dignified public art'.

The talk runs from 3pm to 4pm on Saturday 17 October at The Social, Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester, M3 4JQ. It's free, but you'll need to book your place in advance.