Reject Reflect Reclaim
Opening event: Saturday 22 February from 2 – 4.30pm
Then open: Wednesday to Sunday 11 – 5pm until Sunday 11 May
Participating artists
Mark Amura | Becky Buchanan | Selena Chandler | Karen Christensen | Nathalie Coste | Lucy Daley | Sue Gascoyne | Teddy Godwin | Ella Johnston | Majik | Zack Mennell | Jo Morrison | Martin Osman | Amy Ryall | Chanel Vegas
Challenge your perceptions and reconsider the familiar at Reject Reflect Reclaim, the new group show by The Other MA (TOMA) 24/25 cohort.
Reject Reflect Reclaim, an eclectic, evocative and thought-provoking group exhibition, opens at the Beecroft Art Gallery on February 22 2025. Presented by current The Other MA (TOMA) 24-25 cohort, this debut show invites visitors to critically engage with and rethink the narratives preserved within the Beecroft Art Gallery’s permanent collection.
Responding to selected works from the gallery’s archive of more than 2,000 pieces, the fifteen-member TOMA cohort delve deep into subjects such as representation, violence, sexuality, gender, colonialism, and identity. Through a series of new works, the artists interrogate the archive and notable absences in the Beecroft collection. The works seek to shine a light on overlooked voices and histories, while showcasing a wide range of artistic responses and means of expression.
Reject Reflect Reclaim is more than an exhibition; it is an act of reclamation. It encourages visitors to consider how collections such as the Beecroft’s are curated, remembered, and reimagined.
“Through curiosity and deep inquiry, our TOMA cohort seeks to reclaim and reinterpret the Beecroft collection, creating space for a more fluid and inclusive archive,” said Elliot Gibbons, Curatorial Facilitator. “This show encourages audiences to rethink the role of art in representing the past while embracing its power to shape the future.”
TOMA Takeover
Reject Reflect Reclaim is accompanied by a TOMA Takeover of the Big Screen at Southend’s Focal Point Gallery. Each artist has created a 60-second film that will be screened daily from 22 February to 21 March in Elmer Square, adjacent to Focal Point Gallery. The films will be screened 12-1pm and 3-4pm on rotation with other programming.
Private view
The private view will be held at the Beecroft on February 22 2pm-4.30pm. Private view guests are invited to join TOMA artists by the Big Screen outside Focal Point Gallery at 1pm to see the films and walk over to the Beecroft as a group.
TOMA is an artist-run education model and exhibition programme based in Southend-on-Sea which supports artists who have faced barriers accessing art education and the ‘art world’. Through its education programmes, exhibitions, and public events, TOMA fosters a friendly and inclusive environment for the Southend-on-Sea community to learn, engage, and create.
Located in Southend-on-Sea, the Beecroft Art Gallery boasts a permanent collection spanning centuries, from 17th-century Dutch masterpieces to contemporary works. Highlights include paintings by Molenaer, Ruisdael, and Berchem, as well as pieces by iconic British artists such as Rossetti, Constable, and Edward Lear. Local heritage is celebrated through the Thorpe Smith Collection of Southend landscapes and Alan Sorrell’s *Drawings of Nubia* series.
About Big Screen
Big Screen Southend is a purpose-built display screen made for presentation of artist commissions, live transmissions, and short and feature films relative to the cultural context of Southend, South Essex and further afield. The Big Screen plays from 10.00pm to 18.00pm Monday through to Sunday.