Mark Titchner in Conversation: with Lucy Owen
Join The Weight of Being artist, Mark Titchner in conversation with Lucy Owen, Executive Producer of RIP Seni.
Overnight on 24th June 2020, graffiti reading ‘RIP SENI’ appeared on a public artwork outside Bethlem Royal Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in South London. The red spray-painted letters called attention to Seni Lewis, a 23- year-old black man who died at the hands of up to 11 police officers while in the care of the hospital in 2010.
The artwork “Some Questions About Us” had been created by Turner-prize nominee Mark Titchner and commissioned by Bethlem Gallery’s Mental Health and Justice project, a project initiated and produced by Lucy Owen. It is made up of eight placards asking questions about mental capacity and assessment, creating a powerful resonance between the artwork and the new graffiti. It is currently on display in The Weight of Being at Two Temple Place.
The Guardian film RIP SENI looks at what happened to Seni, the crisis of mental health and racism in the UK, the long fight for justice and what happens when members of the public take art into their own hands.
The two will discuss the artwork and film, as well as the wide-ranging personal experiences of mental health, justice, community and art that respond to and ripple out from Seni’s story. The event will be chaired by Karim Sultan, Curator at Bethlem Gallery.
Mark Titcher
Mark Titchner’s (b.1973, Luton, UK) is an artist based in South London. His work focuses on an exploration of words and language, in recent years much of his production has been based in the public realm. These public works have often been created from group activities, working particularly with young people and in mental health settings. He was nominated for the Turner Prize in 2006, participated in the Venice Biennale in 2007 and was Artist in Residence at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto in 2012. His work is held in many public collections including Tate, Arts Council, Government Art Collection and the British Council.
Lucy Owen
Lucy Owen is a freelance producer. She specialises in initialising, developing and producing projects with a wide range of artists from those that are part of the establishment to those that are marginalised. She has over twenty yearsʼ experience working across creative disciplines in film, theatre, publishing and live events.
Karim Sultan
Karim is responsible for the exhibition programme and artist development at Bethlem Gallery. Karim is a curator and artist, and has worked on and developed numerous international exhibitions and programmes focusing on modern and contemporary art often left out of the art historical canon. As an artist working with music and sound, Karim has presented and performed internationally.
Doors will open at 6.30pm with the talk starting at 7pm. Please don’t arrive before 6.30pm. The talk will last roughly 1 hour including time for questions.
The exhibition, bar and shop will open before the tour, from 6.30pm.
Limited spaces available, booking essential. Please join the waitlist if the event is sold out. Book tickets via Eventbrite or through us directly by emailing info@twotempleplace.org or phoning 0207 836 3715.
Please get in touch with us for information about ticket concessions. If you are experiencing economic difficulty and would like to take part in this event, please get in touch with us at info@twotempleplace.org.
This event has been programmed as part of a series of events to accompany the exhibition The Weight of Being. For more public events, please click here.
For information on how to plan your visit, please check the Visit Us page.
*Please note that we are a small organisation. If you want to cancel your ticket within 1 week of the event, we can’t offer a refund but will try to transfer your ticket to a similar event in the future. If cancelling 48 hours before the event, we are unable to offer a refund or transfer your ticket. If you request a refund at any time, you will be charged a fee by Eventbrite.
