Community reporter, Jessica Warby, visits KARST’s latest exhibition and talks to the artist behind Relic 4, Larry Achiampong, about how it came to be at one of Plymouth’s leading contemporary art spaces.
Larry Achiampong, Relic 4, 2026 (still), single-channel 4K film with stereo sound. Made with support from the British Council and KARST. Courtesy of the artist, LUX, DACS & Copperfield, London.
A boy tumbling down towards a broken shell. An imagined future. Questions of how we will look back at the present. Relic 4 is an incredibly thought-provoking and confronting film by the BAFTA long-listed artist, Larry Achiampong, in collaboration with KARST.
Relic 4 is the sixth film in the Relic Traveller series, and as it has been six years since the last one, this is long-awaited. Filmed in Tilbury, the film examines racial equality in recent history and the present day in the eyes of a time-travelling voyager. It is high quality, with stunning shots of the British countryside alongside Tilbury Fort and the Tilbury Bridge Walkway of Memories, where images of the White Defence League, Empire Windrush and Coldharbour Lane (site of the 1981 Brixton riots) can be seen.
Alongside the exhibition, the Pan African Flags For The Relic Travellers’ Alliance confront the visitors. Three of them can be seen before the viewer reaches the film screen. The last three hang in the space surrounding the film. One particular flag from the series that drew attention last year is Motion. It was hung in the Foreign Office following David Bailey’s portrait – Queen Elizabeth II. This led to media outlets claiming that the Labour government had replaced the portrait, when it was standard procedure for the office to rotate the art on display.
Larry Achiampong, Relic 4, 2026 (still), single-channel 4K film with stereo sound. Made with support from the British Council and KARST. Courtesy of the artist, LUX, DACS & Copperfield, London.
The flags can also be seen in the film on the voyagers’ suits. Achiampong’s work has always questioned racial equality in the UK. In an increasingly trying time in the UK, where there is growing popularity for the far-right in spite of the connection to racist rhetoric, Achiampong and, in connection, Karst, continue not to shy away from these subjects.
Larry Achiampong, Relic 4, 2026 (still), single-channel 4K film with stereo sound. Made with support from the British Council and KARST. Courtesy of the artist, LUX, DACS & Copperfield, London.
At the private view, I had the chance to have a chat with Achiampong, part of which can be seen on Plymouth Culture’s Instagram page. Achiampong mentioned that it is best enjoyed amongst the rest of the series. However, although I hadn’t seen the other films in the Relic Traveller series, but the film is still accessible in its imagery and words.
So how did this collaboration come about? Achiampong pointed out that he had known KARST’s Head of Programme, Ben Borthwick, as “not just a practitioner and a peer, but actually as a friend.” He was keen to collaborate on a project with Ben, and during the lockdown they got the opportunity. Achiampong was looking for a refresh on a project, to which Ben suggested a showcase. KARST made sense as a venue since earlier films had been filmed in the southwest.
Larry Achiampong, Relic 4, 2026 (still), single-channel 4K film with stereo sound. Made with support from the British Council and KARST. Courtesy of the artist, LUX, DACS & Copperfield, London.
Ben Borthwick will be leading a curator’s tour on Friday 6 November and Friday 4 December, if you want to find out more about this project from someone who champions and provides opportunities for great artists like Larry Achiampong.
This exhibition is confronting and leaves the viewer with questions, but in a divided world, taking a step back to consider how we will look back on current events may be needed. KARST have always delivered a strong offering of contemporary art exhibitions, but as this one is over five years in the making, it really is one that you need to see.
The exhibition is on view until Saturday 12 December. The Curator’s Tours with KARST’s Head of Programme, Ben Borthwick, is on Friday 6 November and Friday 4 December (1-2pm). More information, including opening times, can be found on KARST’s website: KARST
