Sadly, the sign posted near this image, gives only the barest sense of the full story, but clearly hints at its emotional impact.
Khadija Saye was a young Gambian-British artist, born in London and winner of art scholarships starting at age 16; after earning a photography degree at the University for the Creative Arts at Farnham, she returned to London and lived with her mother in the Grenfell Tower in North Kensington. She and her mother and 70 others died in the disastrous fire of June 14, 2017.
The slow progress—nearly seven years—of an inquiry into the fire and responsibility for the flammable cladding of the building which doomed its residents has made the Grenfell Tower tragedy a continuing flashpoint for many.
Saye’s series of photographs entitled Dwellings: in this Space we Breathe, based on Gambian spiritual practices, was exhibited in the Diaspora Pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale from May to November 2017. One of her images appears below.
