How Do We Surf and Ride the Wave of Existence?

Listen to How to be Free, this week's Deep Listen which dives into the inspiration for POOL, a project by artist Nadeem Din-Gabisi, developed whilst in residence at Somerset House Studios in 2019.

The multimedia project examines the mental health issues of many young Black men, born in inner and outer London. Touching on personal moments of trauma and happiness, POOL seeks to find peace within these moments, asking: how can we maintain ourselves in spite of all the external factors faced? 

Breaking down the work of Maurice White, Marvin Gaye, Buju Banton, Tupac Shakur, and Matana Roberts, Nadeem Din-Gabisi explores the artists that have inspired him artistically, serving as influence to POOL.  

Nadeem Din-Gabisi's work is centred around the re-presentation of the black image, pertaining to people of African Descent and the limitlessness of what it means to be black, other and more than that. His practice has been influenced by many years of work as a youth and play worker. Nadeem has recently completed his Masters in Fine Art at Chelsea College of Art, performs regularly as part of the musical phenomenon Steam Down, and currently hosts a monthly radio show on NTS Radio. Nadeem has recently been collaborating with fellow artist Hadiru Mahdi at the George Padmore institute to realise an artistic response to their archive.