Grenfell Tower was a 24 storey residential tower block in North Kensington which was destroyed by fire on the 14th June 2017. 72 people died in that fire including the artist Khadija Saye (1992-2017) who lived and worked in the family home on the 20th floor. In 2017 she was chosen to exhibit her work at the Venice Biennale art festival.
This large mural on the walls of the Tate Britain is by Chris Ofili who had met Saye in Venice. It is entitled Requiem 2023. I thought it would be appropriate to post these photos of the mural this week. I have included information about the work
The fire spread too quickly for people to escape from the tower. Due to flammable cladding that had been added to the outside of the building, the fire from one flat which should have been contained was able to spread via the outside cladding. To my knowledge no one has yet been held responsible for this tragedy. Meanwhile arguments are ongoing about who should pay for the removal of cladding from other tower blocks.
The inquiry took four and a half years and the Metropolitan Police still await the decision of the CPS about possible prosecution.
ReplyDeleteIt is so sad to read about the fire and casualties. The painting is looking so good
ReplyDeleteI follow the case closely via a news feed from The Guardian. While it is complex, seven years later it should be sorted and people should be in gaol. We know that won't happen. The art work is so meaningful with the explanations.
ReplyDeleteSince most buildings are constructed by a series of contractors who submit the lowest bids, shoddy construction is hardly surprising. I remember this event because it even made the news here.
ReplyDeleteHow did it happen that the fire spread too quickly for people to escape from the tower?? Was there no alarm going off to worn residents? What a tragedy.
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DeleteBeautiful artwork. Terrible tragedy.
ReplyDeleteI remember reading about that fire. Fire is scary.
ReplyDeleteIt was a tragedy. The murals are great. There was a similar problems here when cladding had to be removed. One of our biggest hospitals was covered in it. That was fixed quickly by the state government.
ReplyDeleteThat's a very sad story, the artwork is nice I love the colors.
ReplyDeleteI remember the fire, lack of responsibility always gets in the way of what needs to be done.
ReplyDeleteI remember hearing about that fire - a terrible tragedy. Thankyou for sharing these artworks. Enjoy your week and thankyou for visiting my blog this week.
ReplyDeleteThank you for showing the murals.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't seem possible that this terrible event/tragedy was in 2017.
All the best Jan
I remember this, it was a terrible tragedy.
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