A symposium in response to Transcending The Signified an exhibition of new large scale painting-installations and performance works at The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) London by interdisciplinary artist Quilla Constance aka Jennifer Allen.

Guest speakers for this symposium event will also explore themes of subjectivity and feminism: discourses of dis-identification and empowerment, in relation to Allen's earlier video piece PUKIJAM

The event will explore and discuss the construction and negotiation of minority and black female identities within British society, popular culture and high art, considering  if and how it might be possible for traditionally marginalised identities to change and move beyond familiar (often injurious) modes of representation and communication, whilst also  questioning whether there's a need to move beyond these existing frameworks at all? How pervasive and pernicious are these so called hegemonic systems of power?

The symposium, chaired by curator Indra Khanna, will open with a performance by Quilla Constance aka Jennifer Allen, followed by responsive presentations from

• Dr Mo Throp, Researcher and PhD Supervisor, Camberwell, Chelsea, Wimbledon Graduate School
• Dr Alexandra Kokoli, Senior Lecturer in Visual Culture-Fine Art, Middlesex University 
• Dr Michael Petry, Director of MOCA London
• Quilla Constance aka Jennifer Allen.

A panel discussion and audience Q&A will follow.

Refreshments will be provided.

About Quilla Constance​
Quilla Constance; is an 'exotic' militant punk persona created and deployed by Jennifer Allen to interrogate category driven capitalist networks and locate points of agency within systems of power. As QC, Allen stages and virally inserts aspects of her artistic practice within pop and social media culture, traversing music venues, forging street protests and entering art galleries in order to emulate, interrupt and critique the operations of these cultural zones. 

Quilla Constance stages interventions across an interdisciplinary practice of paintings, installations, lectures, photographs, live performances, costumes and music videos. 

This event has been organised in collaboration with Matt Franks, Course Leader of BA (Hons) Sculpture at Camberwell. 

Transcending The Signified is funded by Arts Council England.