Past Event
The Whitechapel Gallery is committed to making our events as accessible as possible for every audience member. Please contact access@whitechapelgallery.org if you would like to discuss a particular request and we will gladly discuss with you the best way to accommodate it.
Information about access on site at the gallery is available here: Whitechapel Gallery Access. This includes information about Lift access; Borrowing wheelchairs & seating; Assistance Animals; Parking; Toilets and baby care facilities; Blind & Partially Sighted Visitors; Subtitles and transcripts; British Sign Language (BSL) and hearing induction loops; Deaf Messaging Service (DMS).
This event takes place in our auditorium, with cushioned seats that have backs.
Transport
– To the best of our knowledge, there are no planned disruptions to local transport on the date of the event.
– Our nearest train station – Aldgate East Underground (1 min walk) is not wheelchair accessible. The closest wheelchair accessible stations are Whitechapel (15 min walk), Shoreditch High Street (15 min walk) or Liverpool Street (15 min walk).
– Free parking for Blue Badge holders is available at the top of Osborn Street in the pay and display booths for an unlimited period. Spaces are available on a first come, first served basis.
Thurs 24 Nov | 7pm | £5
Densely packed with symbolism, House Gods, Animal Guides and Five Ways 2 Forgiveness blends Korean spiritual references with motifs from pop culture and science fiction. Painting, sculptures and textiles are installed in and around a hanok, a traditional Korean home and represents various spiritual figures. Sculptures of household deities and animistic avatars guide visitors to the spirit realm, conjuring ancient belief systems in an exploration of Xa’s diasporic identity. A place of liminality, the space exists between night and day, life and death, the home and the spirit world.
In this evening discussion, Xa unpacks the religious, cultural and mythological symbols within the work and reflects upon her creative process as she transformed a gallery in Whitechapel into a portal to another realm.
Audience members will be able to pose questions to Xa in a live Q&A, and to visit the display before or after the talk.
Zadie Xa was born in Vancouver, Canada in 1983. She has an MA in Painting at the Royal College of Art and a BFA from the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. Recent solo exhibitions include: The Box Plymouth (2022), National Gallery (2021, Leeds Art Gallery (2021), Remai Modern (2020). Group exhibitions and performances include: Jeju Biennale (2023), Somerset House (2023), Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2022), Hauser & Wirth, London (2022) Jeffrey Deitch Gallery (2022), Blindspot Gallery, Hong Kong (2022), Hauser & Wirth, Los Angeles (2022), Castello di Rivoli (2021), Haus der Kunst (2021), Shanghai Biennale (2021), Frieze London (2020), AGO Toronto (2020), Art Night (2020), Venice Biennale (2019), Hayward Gallery (2018) and Serpentine Galleries (2018 & 2017). Xa lives and works in London.
