South, London
Michelle Williams Gamaker
Strange Evidence
Matt's GalleryMatt's Gallery, in association with the Bukhman Foundation, is pleased to present the London film premiere of Strange Evidence, a new film by Michelle Williams Gamaker. Strange Evidence is commissioned and produced by Matt's Gallery, London, and Offline, Glasgow. Strange Evidence is a genre bending Body Horror/Film Noir, focusing on 1930s British/Hollywood screen star Merle Oberon, who kept her mixed Sri Lankan, Indian and British heritage secret to protect her industry status. She passed as white until her death in 1979. As a contracted star for Alexander Korda's London Films, Oberon was the so-called resident "exotic" playing stereotypical roles. To transition to leading roles, Oberon falsified her past claiming that she was born in Tasmania to white parents. Behind the scenes she maintained strict control of her image; relying on make-up, lighting, dermabrasion and skin-bleaching procedures. This new work has been developed through an innovative process which saw a hybrid installation/film set exhibited at Matt's Gallery in spring 2025. Alternating between colour and black and white worlds, Williams Gamaker revisits the cosmetic procedures Oberon underwent to maintain this illusion, and speculatively offers the star psychoanalysis to unpack her self-censorship (what the artist calls "Fictional Healing"). The final film weaves these together into a narrative that tries to decode the puzzles that Oberon poses. The capacity for protagonists to speak back is an integral part of the artist's practice. In the privacy of the Analyst's consulting room, anxieties, fantasies and the symbolic can be voiced. The project sensitively explores racial stigma, trauma and complex decisions shaped by prejudice and restrictive labour conditions, still impacting performers today. Strange Evidence forms the first part of Williams Gamaker's new phase in Fictional Healing, following her series in Fictional Activism and Fictional Revenge. It also completes her Critical Affection trilogy with The Bang Straws (2021) and Thieves (2023). Through 2026 Strange Evidence will tour to: The MAC, Belfast Offline, Glasgow Dundee Contemporary Arts HOME, Manchester Barbican, London Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff Strange Evidence is supported by Cockayne Grants for the Arts, a Donor Advised Fund, held at The Prism Charitable Trust; the Bukhman Foundation; and the National Lottery through Creative Scotland. Additional support from The British Academy; Kingston University; Goldsmiths, University of London; The Bryan Robertson Trust; Consulting Producer Priya Palak and Associate Producers John Cavanagh, Samm Haillay and Michelle Williams Gamaker. We would like to acknowledge the support of Gasworks during the research and development phase of this project.