Delaine Le Bas
Atchin Tan
Since Summer 2024, The White House in Dagenham has served as the creative home for artist and Turner Prize nominee Delaine Le Bas, as she develops an immersive installation with Roma & Traveller communities.
Keep an eye out for how to get involved as this evolving project will invite participation through workshops, open studios, conversations and youth engagement; creating a vibrant space for exploring Roma & Traveller experiences and identities. This collaborative effort aims to challenge existing narratives about Roma & Traveller cultures and to reimagine how they are seen and celebrated. Weaving together personal stories, traditions, symbols and iconography from the artist’s lexicon, both the engagement process and the future installation will highlight the diversity within these often misunderstood communities.
Le Bas’ installation will transform The White House into a unique experience. Every corner of the space, from the kitchen to the garden, will be activated and infused with elements that reflect the richness, complexity and resilience of Roma & Traveller life.
Once a derelict 18th-century farmhouse, The White House was revitalised in 2016 as a vibrant home for art and social activity. It has since hosted numerous artists and events, workshops, poetry circles, youth projects and seasonal parties for the local community.
Le Bas’ installation opens on Friday 14 March 2025 and is free for all visitors. Sign up to our e-news for exciting updates on the project.
About Delaine Le Bas
English-Romani artist Delaine Le Bas lives and works across the UK and Europe. Born in 1965 in Worthing, she graduated from Central St Martin’s and her work explores themes of nationhood, land, belonging, and gender through various media such as embroidery, painting, collage, sculpture, installation, and performance. Describing the intertwined nature of her identity and her work, Le Bas has stated “…as a Romani, my viewpoint has always been that of the outsider and this position of the 'other' is reflected in the materials and messages within my work. We live in a culture of mixed values and garbled messages. My works are crafted from the disregarded and disparate objects of the car boot sale and the charity shops."
Le Bas has played a significant role in the building of a Roma/Traveller contemporary art movement and aesthetic. Her work has been featured in the 52nd and 58th Venice Biennales and the Gwangju Biennale in 2012. She co-curated the first Roma Biennale, 'Come out Now!', in Berlin in 2018. She has been shortlisted for the 2024 Turner Prize, and is currently artist-in-residence at The White House, Dagenham; a contemporary and community art space operated by Create London.