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If rags are the shreds of culture inhabited by the unfortunate, are ruins the shells of their oppressors' power? Ancient prophets observed that all garments, whether imperial purple or hermit brown, are torn to shreds by the ages; every hut or castle becomes fluid as sand in time. What of we who are alive now, clinging to our holdfasts, menaced by waves of weaponised information?
– Damian Le Bas
In art and words, mother and son, artist and writer, Delaine Le Bas and Damian Le Bas (jr) come together to reflect on shared themes that run through their work across visual art, writing, and lived experience. Drawing on Romani history and culture, as well as broader questions of power, marginalisation, survival, and memory, they will discuss how materials, stories, and landscapes carry the traces of human conflict and endurance.
This event, which forms part of a series of art-themed events, a partnership between EA Festival, Essex Book Festival and The Minories, is a rare opportunity to hear two internationally acclaimed artists in dialogue, reflecting on inheritance, identity, and the role of art and language in navigating a world shaped by history, violence, and renewal. Expect a thought-provoking evening that moves between the personal and the universal, rooted in deep cultural knowledge.
Delaine Le Bas
Delaine Le Bas is a British artist whose work spans textile, collage, assemblage, installation, and performance. Of Romani heritage, her practice explores Romani history, language, and lived experience, addressing themes of displacement, survival, memory, and cultural resilience. Using found fabrics, clothing, photographs, and hand-worked materials, her work is marked by layering and accretion, reflecting both nomadic traditions and the fragility of inherited histories. Her work has been shown widely in the UK and internationally, including participation in the Prague Biennale (2005 and 2007) and The First Roma Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2007. She was shortlisted for the prestigious Turner Prize in 2024, with her installation shown at Tate Britain as part of the prize exhibition. Le Bas’ practice challenges stereotypical representations of Romani identity, asserting its complexity, modernity, and political urgency.
Damian Le Bas
Damian Le Bas (jr) is a writer and artist. His first book, The Stopping Places, A Journey Through Gypsy Britain, wonthe prestigious Somerset Maugham Award in 2019 amongst other literary awards. His visual art has been shown internationally, and his poetry and essays are widely published. His second book, The Drowned Places, was released in 2025 and nominated for the Maritime Foundation Best Book Award. Damian read Theology at Oxford University and is a native speaker of the Romani language. He grew up in Sussex, where he lives with his partner and their two daughters, and he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
