From 16-29 January, beaming brightly in the grounds of Southwark Cathedral, our stained-glass style ‘Beacon of Hope’ will create an awe-inspiring spectacle of light and colour with messages of hope to lift everyone’s spirits. 

The Beacon will illuminate five powerful messages of hope about hunger, equality, health, climate, and injustice.

The artist

Each message of hope was brought to life by Ugandan artist, Matt Kayem, from and working in Kampala. Matt’s work explores identity, race, history, and culture through installations, collage-paintings and photography.

Working in his signature style Matt used recycled denim, sourced from the markets of Kampala then stretched onto frames, as the unique canvas for his vivid, colourful creations.

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Beacon of Hope artist Matt Kayem, pictured in his studio. Credit: Camillus Kinalwa
A young black man sits in a relaxed posture, holding a paint palette, and surrounded by colourful artworks in his studio

Where you can see the exhibition

You can visit the Beacon of Hope exhibition at Southwark Cathedral, London Bridge, London, SE1 9DA, from 16-29 January 2023, 8am – 6pm.

Special Candlelight Evenings of Prayer take place on Wednesday 18 and Wednesday 25 January 2023. The Cathedral will remain open until 8.30pm.

 

Watch

'Art has the power... to shift the minds of people'

In this short video, Matt Kayem shows us where he buys his materials, and speaks about the transformative power of art.

The Beacon of Hope prayer

List Resources – by content reference (specific page match)
A stained glass-style artwork, showing the phrase 'if we can unite billions via the internet, together we can unite the world in the fight against injustice'
Prayer
Published
12/01/2023

Beacon of Hope prayer

Create your own prayers of hope with this imaginative format.
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