O Barco
Grada Kilomba’s compelling 32-metre outdoor installation and performance O Barco / The Boat is a powerful monument to the millions of African people enslaved during the period of European maritime expansion and colonisation.
Composed of 146 charred wood pieces, and constructed to resemble the ‘hold’ of a historical slave ship, the artwork’s inner rows are inscribed in gold with a poem written by Kilomba and translated into Yoruba, English, Portuguese, Kimbundu, Arabic from Syria, and Creole from Cape Verde. The video captures moments of the live performance in the Somerset House courtyard.