NN would like to extend a huge congratulations to Angelique Stephenson on her selection for the New Art Exchange (NAE) Open 2023! Angelique has been a studio holder and part of the family here at NN for over a year. The NAE Open is a diverse exhibition addressing the critical issues of the day, featuring 44 artists selected through a competitive open application process. It runs at the NAE in Nottingham from 20th May – 23rd September. The piece by Angelique featured above is from her series on Black fathers, providing intimate snapshots of family life within the African Diaspora, where the father/child relationship is the focus. The series attempts to challenge popularly held assumptions about the integrity of Black fatherhood by depicting real scenes that speak of every-day closeness and bonding, positioned within a wider narrative around the sitters’ familial and cultural histories, which are inherently extraordinary in nature.