Canaan Brown
‘The Fantastic Memoir of the Life of Lucius Alexander, A Haint’

The Fantastic Memoir of the Life of Lucius Alexander, A Haint, is a fictional memoir inspired by Brown’s research into the Black fantastic, 18th and 19th century Black Britons, and the looting of Caribbean sculptures by imperialist British institutions. The memoir – set in 19th century London – foregrounds a fictional Black Briton, called Lucius Alexander, who has been given a mission to retrieve and repatriate a stolen Taino sculpture; from the British Museum, to Southern Jamaica. Influenced by Afro-Caribbean folklore, the character realises they have a supernatural ability, that allows them to temporarily disappear, and ascend into a spirit realm beyond linear time.

Exhibited as an installation, next to Brown’s ‘Research Wall’ – a visual mapping of some of the images, interests, and influences that have helped build and catalyse the project – this body of work is the artist’s most recent exploration of how fiction can be used to help decolonise the imagination. Inspired by the real narratives of Black Britons from British history, the film re-imagines diverse histories to help elevate societal consciousness today.

With thanks to Harun Morrison, for the loan of chairs from the former pub The Eagle and Tun which were salvaged prior to its demolition, and to Luke Perry, for the loan of a Georgian imperial riding costume.

Canaan Brown is an artist and designer from Cardiff. A recent first-class graduate of Birmingham City University, and now a Sir Frank Bowling scholar at the Royal College of Art, Brown’s interdisciplinary practice highlights and empowers cultural excellence. Recent projects have been exhibited at the Southbank Centre (London), in exhibitions and on billboards around the West Midlands, and include ‘Black British History is British History’ – a public monument installed in Birmingham this year.