Kourtney Paul Stuart-Mason - illustrator.
“Black males appear invisible in mainstream society unless connected with negativity or violence, however this is not the case.”
“My practice is a voice for those who are unable to discuss the ideas of diversity and inclusivity within an art institution. I mainly focus on the lack of Home BAME students and staff within UAL, while giving my own personal experience of being here. Often referencing Black British/American history, the works below explore the close relationship between being Black and being a Black artist. In my most recent work I decided to just paint in black and copy the information from Diversity Reports, however the font I used was very harsh and aggressive, therefore completely changing the original meaning of the report from a positive to a negative one.”
“Each year UAL (University of Arts London) have an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Report to see the progress of their students and staff over the course of the year. This is used to compare progress from previous years to see any improvement. In 2016 the ethnic diversity of students had increased slightly within the BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) section, as more students are enrolling in undergraduate degree courses, however, white students are being awarded a 1st or 2:1 at higher rates than BAME students. In 2016/17 54% of home students from BAME backgrounds were awarded a 1st or 2:1, whereas 74% of white students received the same grades. This may be the result of students not getting the support they truly need to drive themselves harder within the course. This gap called ‘The Attainment Gap’. The gap between white and ethnic minorities is still very apparent even now.”
“These Illustrations below are meant to represent the small number of BAME students within UAL, while using my own experiences and others give light to this subject matter that will hopefully help future students down the line. Each drawing is a student who has gone to UAL and experiences different levels of inequality or exclusion.”
