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Making across boundaries: In conversation with Osman Yousefzada and professor Paul Fieldsend-Danks
Friday, 31 January, 2025 — Discover the powerful themes of migration, colonialism, and power in Osman Yousefzada’s exhibition ‘When Will We Be Good Enough?’ at The Box, Plymouth. Explore his thought-provoking conversation with Professor Paul Fieldsend-Danks, Vice-Chancellor of Arts University Plymouth, on how art challenges historical imbalances.
<p dir="ltr">At the end of January, Professor Paul Fieldsend-Danks, Vice-Chancellor for Arts University Plymouth, met with internationally renowned artist Osman Yousefzada at The Box for ‘Making Across Boundaries’, an in-conversation event exploring Osman’s latest exhibition, ‘When Will We Be Good Enough?’</p>
<p dir="ltr">Yousefzada, a Birmingham-born artist and writer, is the son of first-generation South Asian migrants. His practice blurs the boundaries between craft, sculpture, architecture, and social commentary, exploring themes of migration, colonialism, and power structures. His work is deeply autoethnographic, often positioning personal narratives within broader social contexts.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Opening the discussion, Professor Fieldsend-Danks introduced Yousefzada’s work and asked, “Your work challenges historical power imbalances and the ways in which they persist. You’ve said that power doesn’t die—it reinvents itself. Can you talk about that?”<br /></p>
Osman Yousefzada and Professor Paul Fieldsend-Danks
<p>One of the most striking elements of ‘When Will We Be Good Enough?’ is its exploration of power as a constantly shifting force. As Yousefzada described during the discussion: "Look at colonial shipping routes and compare them to today’s data cable maps—they mirror each other. Of course, there are practical reasons, but empire has always functioned through infrastructural control. The first transatlantic cables, and subsequent cables to colonies including British India, were called the ‘Nervous Systems of Empire’—copper-laid networks replacing old trade routes, just as Roman roads superimposed new architecture onto the existing landscape. Power doesn’t disappear; it finds new ways to embed itself."</p>
<p dir="ltr">Professor Fieldsend-Danks reflected on this, adding: “You also describe these routes as viaducts of power. There’s a sense in your work that dominance is restructured rather than removed.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">This idea of restructured dominance is reflected in Yousefzada’s ‘The Island’—a centrepiece of the exhibition that presents a domestic Turkish carpet supporting busts of modern tech billionaires Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk. The installation draws attention to the tension between craftsmanship and global capitalism, labour and value.<br /></p>
'The Island' by Osman Yousefzada
A hand knotted carpet is often seen as a prized object—something desirable in a home, yet we don’t always want the people who make them living next to us. On the carpet in ‘The Island’, are several hand spun objects, amongst them is a socket housing the headlight of a Rolls-Royce and an ashtray. The same worker makes both, yet the headlight socket becomes part of a very expensive car, while the ashtray is sold for next to nothing. Regardless of what he makes, his labour is valued the same.
Osman Yousefzada
<p>Professor Fieldsend-Danks responded, noting the juxtaposition of power and impotence in the way these figures are represented: “I was there with a group of schoolchildren who instantly recognised these figures—not as historic power symbols, but as the people behind their phones. That immediate recognition speaks volumes about how power presents itself in contemporary life.”</p>
Osman Yousefzada and Professor Paul Fieldsend-Danks in conversation
My work exists in the intersections—between queerness, being Muslim, being working class. Queerness, for example, has no instruction manual. You learn through failure. Failure is often shamed, but for me, it’s the space at the edge where you can see clearly from the margins to the centre. The works that sit at the edges of institutions are the ones that offer hope.
Osman Yousefzada
<p dir="ltr">The ‘Making Across Boundaries’ event is just one example of the strong relationship between Arts University Plymouth and The Box. Through collaborative exhibitions, talks, and research opportunities, the university’s students and faculty have continued to engage with the museum as a space for critical practice, education, and innovation in contemporary curation.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Professor Fieldsend-Danks, who has championed Arts University Plymouth’s collaborations with The Box, reflected on the role of museums in critical discourse: “This kind of exhibition, and the conversations that surround it, are vital in shaping how we think about power and representation. Museums are not neutral spaces; they hold contested histories. This dialogue between contemporary practice and historic collections is what makes The Box such a dynamic partner for our students and researchers.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">Students at Arts University Plymouth—particularly those studying on the MA Museum Studies programme—benefit from direct access to The Box’s collections, exhibitions, and archival materials. With a curriculum that explores decolonisation, digital archives, and the evolving role of museums in contemporary society, MA Museum Studies provides students with the tools to actively shape the future of curatorship and museum education.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The event was introduced by Dr Rebecca Bridgman, Head of Collections and Programme at The Box, who joined the museum in 2023 after over a decade as curatorial and exhibitions manager at Birmingham Museums Trust. With a PhD in Archaeology, Dr Bridgman’s expertise supports the ongoing collaboration between The Box and Arts University Plymouth, providing opportunities for students and faculty to engage with museum collections in meaningful ways.<br /></p>
John Lyons and Osman Yousefzada
<p dir="ltr">‘When Will We Be Good Enough?’ is open at The Box until 9 March 2025. This thought-provoking exhibition invites visitors to engage with the stories of global power, migration, and resistance that continue to shape our world today.</p>
<p dir="ltr">For those interested in exploring the intersections of contemporary curation and social justice, Arts University Plymouth’s <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/ma-museum-studies" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MA Museum Studies</a> programme offers an innovative space to reimagine the role of museums in the 21st century.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Join Osman Yousefzada again at The Box for ‘Super Saturday: Poetry and Practice’, where he will be in conversation with artist John Lyons on Saturday 8 February from 11:30am - 1:00pm. <a href="https://www.theboxplymouth.com/events/february-2025/poetry-and-practice-john-lyons-and-osman-yousefzada-in-conversation" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Find out more and book your ticket here</a>.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Additionally, John Lyons' exhibition <strong>Carnivalesque</strong> opens at The Box on <strong>8 February</strong>, exploring the vibrancy of Caribbean carnival traditions. A special <strong>artist-led tour</strong> with John will take place on <strong>7 February</strong>, offering deeper insight into his work. <a href="https://www.theboxplymouth.com/events/exhibitions/john-lyons-carnivalesque" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Find out more about the exhibition</a> and<a href="https://www.theboxplymouth.com/events/february-2025/artist-led-tour-john-lyons-carnivalesque" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> the artist-led tour</a>.</p>
<p>For those in London, Osman Yousefzada will also be speaking at <strong>Iniva</strong> on <strong>21 February</strong>, continuing the discussion around 'When Will We Be Good Enough?' in an exploration of the intersections of power, race, and history. <a href="https://iniva.org/programme/events/when-will-we-be-good-enough/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">More details here</a>.</p>
