Strange Evidence by Michelle Williams Gamaker

The Bukhman Foundation is proud to support Strange Evidence, a new film by Michelle Williams Gamaker, presented at Matt’s Gallery from 25–29 March 2026. The screening is part of a wider tour, bringing the film to diverse venues and audiences while continuing the conversation around identity, representation, and historical narratives in cinema.

Commissioned by Matt’s Gallery and Offline, Glasgow, the film blends body horror and film noir to revisit the life of 1930s Hollywood star Merle Oberon. Oberon concealed her mixed Sri Lankan, Indian, and British heritage to navigate the racial prejudice of the film industry.

Williams Gamaker alternates colour and black‑and‑white sequences to explore Oberon’s self-representation, cosmetic practices, and the pressures of prejudice. Using what she calls Fictional Healing , she creates space for reflection and speculative psychoanalysis.

Strange Evidence marks a new phase in Williams Gamaker’s practice, following Fictional Activism and Fictional Revenge , completing her Critical Affection trilogy.

About Michelle Williams Gamaker
Michelle Williams Gamaker is an artist-filmmaker working with performance and installation. She interrogates colonial and imperialist storytelling in 20th-century British and Hollywood films through her trilogy methodology: Fictional Activism , Fictional Revenge , and Fictional Healing . She has received multiple awards, including Film London’s Jarman Award (2020) and the Bryan Robertson Award (2024). Her work has been presented internationally and is part of the Arts Council Collection. She is Professor on the BA Fine Art programme at Goldsmiths, University of London, and a studio artist and trustee at Gasworks.

About Matt’s Gallery
Matt’s Gallery is one of the UK’s leading contemporary art galleries, supporting the creation of innovative work since 1979. The gallery champions ambitious artists, giving them the time, space, and resources to take creative risks, and has presented the work of Melanie Counsell, Willie Doherty, Susan Hiller, Mike Nelson, and many others.

About Offline

Offline is a specialist arts organisation dedicated to the production and exhibition of artists’ moving image. Based in Govanhill, on the south side of Glasgow, it explores how a cinema-gallery can function as a community and creative resource. Codirected by Lydia Honeybone and Leonie Rae Gasson, the new venue operates as a platform for ambitious time-based practice, experimental cinema, and archival film.

Images
Michelle Williams Gamaker, Strange Evidence , film still, 2026.
Commissioned and produced by Matt’s Gallery, London and Offline, Glasgow.