Casildart Contemporary

12/10/2026

What does it mean to belong?

Is community something we inherit, something we create, or something we discover through our relationships with others?

Under a Groove takes its cue from Funkadelic’s 1978 funk classic ‘One Nation Under a Groove’ using rhythm as a metaphor for connection, freedom and collective expression. It is also inspired by the South African philosophy of Ubuntu,”I am because we are”, the exhibition invites us to consider not only where we belong, but how our relationships with others shape who we become.

Bringing together the work of , Awotwi and , Under a Groove presents the voices of three Nigerian and two Ghanaian artists, each exploring home, memory, family, friendship, spirituality and cultural inheritance through their own distinct visual language.

While each artist’s perspective is unique, the exhibition unfolds through a shared enquiry: how do we find connection across different histories, identities and experiences? Through painting, portraiture and symbolism, the artists explore the spaces between us, the stories we carry, and the rhythms that connect us across generations, borders and cultures.

Rather than calling for sameness or conformity, Under a Groove celebrates the idea that true community makes room for individual self expression. It argues that belonging is not about becoming the same, but about finding acceptance, understanding, and connection while remaining true to ourselves. In this way, our differences do not divide us; they enrich our collective experience and deepen our understanding of one another.

Under a Groove ultimately asks us to imagine community not as a fixed destination, but as something we continually create together.

Come and find your groove.

Under a Groove is on view until 7th November
Venue: CadildART
32 Connaught Street
London W2 2AF
Link in bio for further details

11/10/2026

11/10/2026

MEET THE ARTISTS: UNDER A GROOVE

Introducing the five artists bringing Under a Groove to life: Paul Majek, Ray Soko, Cecilia Lamptey-Botchway, Kwesi Awotwi and Sophia Oshodin.

Through painting, mixed media and storytelling, their practices explore themes of identity, heritage, family, spirituality, home and belonging, bringing Ghanaian and Nigerian perspectives into conversation.

Inspired by Ubuntu, I am because we are, the exhibition celebrates the connections, shared histories and experiences that bring us together while honouring what makes each of us unique.

Join us as we explore what it means to belong, connect and exist in community.

📍 CasildART Contemporary
📅 6 October – 7 November 2026

11/10/2026

MEET THE ARTISTS: UNDER A GROOVE

Introducing the five artists bringing Under a Groove to life: Paul Majek, Ray Soko, Cecilia Lamptey-Botchway, Kwesi Awotwi and Sophia Oshodin.

Through painting, mixed media and storytelling, their practices explore themes of identity, heritage, family, spirituality, home and belonging, bringing Ghanaian and Nigerian perspectives into conversation.

Inspired by Ubuntu, I am because we are, the exhibition celebrates the connections, shared histories and experiences that bring us together while honouring what makes each of us unique.

Join us as we explore what it means to belong, connect and exist in community.

📍 CasildART Contemporary
📅 6 October – 7 November 2026

❤️

07/10/2026

Guests really got into the rhythm of last night’s preview. Artists, audiences, volunteers, entrepreneurs, creatives, business leaders, friends and first-time visitors all brought their own vibe and their own groove.

The conversations, connections and exchanges were exactly what we hope for. (The sales too, of course, but we know those follow when people genuinely connect.)🧡

The title playfully leans into the familiar rivalry between Nigerians and Ghanaians, but the bigger philosophical point draws on Ubuntu, the South African philosophy that understands our humanity as something formed through our relationships with others.

At a time when the language of community is often used to reinforce binary positions (“our community is good, yours is bad”; “you’re either with us or against us”), this exhibition explores the multiplicity of voices, identities and experiences that can coexist within a single community, or groove, and how these shape the individual.

It proposes an idea that might seem radical: individual freedom is not reduced by community but expanded by it, leaving space for different communities to coexist in harmony. Community shouldn’t reduce us to a single label, identity or way of thinking either. Belonging does not require conformity.

Holding space for multiple truths and resisting the comfort of absolute certainty feels like a more humane way to live. It also reminds us that when we step onto the dance floor, as in life, we can groove to our own beat without without ever cramping the style of other groovers.

Thank you to Jahran Allen-Thompson for your inspiring speech and for your thoughtful ideas, and to everyone who came and added their own rhythm to the night.

Under a Groove is on view until 7 November.
Ticket info in the bio.

02/10/2026

We are proud to announce ‘Under a Groove’ which opens to the public on 7th October.

The exhibition explores kinship and community through the distinct lens of five artists - Sophia Oshodin, Cecilia Lamptey Botchway, Paul Majek, Ray Soko and Kwesi Awotwi.

Spanning painting, mixed media ad portraiture, the works presented explores how our relationships, memories, places and communities shape who we become.

So we ask: Who are you because of?

A person. A place. A memory. A community.

Tell us in the comments!

01/10/2026

Meet Our Judge: Kaori Homma

Kaori Homma has kindly agreed to return as our judge for the third edition of the BGM Art Fair.

Submissions are now open!

This is an opportunity for Black and Global Majority visual artists and makers to exhibit at our December fair.

All mediums accepted.

Free to apply.

📅 Deadline: 23 October

Find out more and download the application form via the link in our bio.

blackowned

30/09/2026

We are pleased to announce ‘Under a Groove’ a new group exhibtion featuring two Ghanaian and three Nigerian artists.

The exhibtion leans into the playful rivalry between Ghanaians and Nigerians - the jollof debates, the music, the football, the friendly contest that has shaped so much of our cultural imagination. In this exhibition, that spirited banter becomes creative fuel to explore kinship and community.

Curated by Sukai Eccleston, five artists Sophia Oshodin, Cecilia Lamptey‑Botchway, Paul Majek, Ray Soko and Kwesi Awotwi, step into that dialogue, each bringing a distinct visual language that expresses the way community shows up for them.

Their works move across care, friendship, migration, ancestral presence and family, revealing that community is not a static idea but a living, breathing practice. It is shaped through relationship, memory, inheritance and the everyday acts of showing up for one another.

The exhibition draws inspiration from two powerful cultural anchors: Funkadelic’s 1978 funk classic One Nation Under a Groove , a liberation anthem that insists joy is a political force, and Ubuntu, the South African philosophy meaning “a person is a person through other persons.” Together, they frame community as something we build collectively, through rhythm, reciprocity and shared humanity.

CasildART exists within this same logic. As a not‑for‑profit gallery dedicated to championing contemporary Black artists, we understand our role not as gatekeeper but as host, offering a space where you can get your groove on gracefully without ever treading one anyone’s toes.

It is a space that only works if each of us shows up for one another. A space that holds because we hold it: collectively, intentionally, rhythmically.

Five voices, One cadence. One Groove.
Cecilia lamptey
Kwesi Awotwi🔆🇬🇭 kwasiada wɔwoo no
Paul Majek
raymond soko
Sophia Oshodin

Exhibition is on view from 7th October - 7th November.
Opening times: Tuesday - Saturday. 11am - 6pm.
anianfaceoff

22/09/2026

MEET THE JUDGES FOR THE BGM ART FAIR!
Meet Larry Aponsoah, one of our Judges (.collections)

We’re thrilled that for the second year running, Larry has agreed to join the selection panel for our Global Majority Art Fair - now open for submissions!

✨ Free to apply
💷 £500 Juror’s cash prize Award
Open to UK based Black artists and artists with roots in the Global South

All mediums accepted

6-week exhibition in Central London
Last year we sold 50% of the fair!

Your work will be seen by CasildART’s collectors , and we manage all sales, so you don’t have to worry about a thing.

👉 Apply now — link in bio!