When asked what inspires her, Rhea Dillon lists three things: “the power art can hold in changing society; the strength of blackness across history; and what it means to be a master”. These are also all themes in which the visual artist has been articulately exploring across her already impressive roll call of projects, especially considering the fact she’s still currently a student at London’s Central Saint Martins.
Late last year, Dillon premiered Process, a film made in conjunction with NOWNESS about “the process of afro hair”. But it’s Black Angel, a short film made with LA-based gender nonconforming brand No Sesso, which is her proudest moment. “I shot, edited, cast and produced that in a city I'd never been to before and didn't know anyone in prior,” she explains. “I met some of the best people I know through making that film.”
Dillon, whose work is as aesthetic as it is meaningful, is working hard on the debut of her final degree project, a dual-screen video installation which will utilise fragrance to make it a multi-sensory event. Centred on the queer black British community, Dillon reveals that it will explore what black Britain means through a lens which is often only focused on the African American experience.
Ashleigh Kane