African life revisited

Catherine Reed's art show, An African Life, at Hawick Museum.

Barbara and Catherine Reed have put together an art show entitled ‘An African Life’ with a strongly autobiographical slant, inspired by and drawing on their experiences.

Barbara and the family moved to Uganda in 1970, Catherine was born in Hartlepool in 1972 but went to Uganda with her mum when she was five weeks old.

The family had to flee after Idi Amin came to power and, in 1977, moved to Botswana which, at the time, was an oasis of stability in a very volatile area. Barbara became curator of art at the National Museum Botswana and during the 1980s and 1990s, the museum acted as a platform for South African artists protesting apartheid.

The show features masquerade costumes influenced by the tribes of West Africa, along with textiles inspired by Southern Africa.

Also in the exhibition are works inspired by a lifelong sense of adventure - a series of vibrant oil paintings inspired by Catherine’s treks in the Kalahari Desert and Okavango Delta and sculptures made from welded scrap metal, inspired by African street art and the Peace parks of South Africa.

All these influences are brought together very successfully to create an exciting and truly unique display.

The exhibition runs from now until May 28, admission free.