REJECT REFLECT RECLAIM

REJECT REFLECT RECLAIM

Challenge your perceptions and reconsider the familiar at Reject Reflect Reclaim, the new group show by The Other MA (TOMA) 24/25 cohort.

Beecroft Art Gallery, Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, SS2 6EX

22 February - 11 May 2025 from 11 - 5 pm Wednesday to Sunday

Opening event: Saturday 22 February from 2-4.30 pm

TOMA 2024/25 artists exhibiting…

Reject Reflect Reclaim, an eclectic, evocative and thought-provoking group exhibition, opened at the Beecroft Art Gallery on February 22 2025. Presented by the current The Other MA (TOMA) 24-25 cohort, this debut show invited 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.

You can download and read the Reject Reflect Reclaim booklet by clicking here.

Click on the thumbnails below to find out more about each exhibiting artist’s work!

Mark Amura

Becky Buchanan

Selena Chandler

Karen Christensen

Nathalie Coste

Lucy Daley

Sue Gascoyne

Teddy Godwin

Ella Johnston

Majik

Jo Morrison

Martin Osman

Amy Ryall

Chanel Vegas

TOMA Takeover

Reject Reflect Reclaim was 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 were screened 12-1pm and 3-4pm on rotation with other programming. Find out more about the Big Screen TOMA Takeover here.

About Beecroft Art Gallery

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.