Multidisciplinary contemporary artist, filmmaker, writer and poet, Rhea Dillon was born in London, UK in 1996. Dillon earned her degree from Central Saint Martins, UAL, London in 2019 and subsequently completed a programme at the Institute of Art and Olfaction in Los Angeles, USA. She employs a variety of mediums, including video, painting, photography, installation, and olfactory art. Identifying as a Black, queer woman from a low socio-economic background, Dillon consistently delves into themes of diasporic Blackness and identity.
Multidisciplinary contemporary artist, filmmaker, writer and poet, Rhea Dillon was born in London, UK in 1996. Dillon earned her degree from Central Saint Martins, London in 2019 and subsequently completed a programme at the Institute of Art and Olfaction in Los Angeles, USA. She employs a variety of mediums, including video, painting, photography, installation, and olfactory art. Identifying as a Black, queer woman from a low socio-economic background, Dillon consistently delves into themes of diasporic Blackness and identity. Regarding her own heritage, she stated: ‘I’m a second-generation black British Jamaican African. […] I am a Jamaican African due to the transatlantic slave trade. My lineage travels through the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, to the Caribbean Sea, and then back through the Atlantic, towards Africa. Double-consciousness is not merely a western concept, evident in terms such as “black British” or “African American”. “Jamaican African” also symbolises black double-consciousness,’ (Dillon quoted in Kane, 2019).
In her artistic practice, Dillon delves into the ontology of Blackness, principles of representation, allegorical narratives, LGBTIQA+ perspectives, feminist thought, and linguistics. She intertwines the works of thinkers such as W.E.B Du Bois, Vanley Burke, and Audre Lorde with her personal contemporary experiences, offering reflections on the modern essence and portrayal of Black identity. A practice informed by theory is a central part of Dillon’s work. Theory, seen as a form of myth-building in which language is constructed to understand existence, is foundational to Dillon’s work; moreover, as an avid reader, she recognises the power of poetry and theory in shaping her expression (Jochum, 2022).
Dillon first garnered attention for her contributions to fashion photography and filmmaking during her time at Central Saint Martins. In 2018, she produced a film, Define Beauty: Process, which looked into the theme of Afro hair. Her subsequent film, The Name I Call Myself (2019), provided insight into the Black British Queer community. Her first major solo exhibition, Nonbody Nonthing No Thing, opened in 2021 at V.O Curations, London, as part of an artist residency. This exhibition critically examined Blackness through seven pieces of art. Later that year, she released a poetry collection titled Donald Dahmer and performed Catgut – The Opera during the Park Nights series at the Serpentine Gallery, London. The Catgut libretto reflected on the nuances and breadth of Black artistic expression, highlighting its place in Black opera.
Her films have been screened at venues including the British Film Institute, London, UK; London Short Film Festival; Site Projects, Mimosa House, London, UK; Wontumi Ntaaki, Accra, Ghana; and Aperture Gallery, New York, USA. Dillon has participated in several solo and group exhibitions. She participated in Frieze London 2022 with a project titled From Landing to Arrival that explored the theme of Caribbean diaspora. Her most recent exhibition, An Alterable Terrain at Tate Britain (2023–4) in London, utilises sculpture to unravel British and Caribbean identities, focusing on the Black female form. Dillon integrates colonial history, visual theories of minimalism and abstraction, and Black feminism in her methodology. Among the exhibited pieces are soap plates infused with a sweat-like fragrance, reminiscent of her Jamaican grandmother’s home. ‘This exhibition,’ the artist has observed, ‘represents my most candid engagement with black women’s geographies and my perspective within the Black British diaspora,’ (Dillon and Hamilton, 2023, p. 63). Currently, Rhea Dillon divides her time between Los Angeles, USA and London, England, UK. Her work is not currently represented in UK public collections.
Consult items in the Ben Uri archive related to [Rhea Dillon]
Publications related to [Rhea Dillon] in the Ben Uri Library