Saturdays in Junei & August 2024: 01.06. / 08.06./ 22.06. / 29.06. / 10.08. / 17.08. from 3–5 p.m., Gegenwart
with Sindi-Leigh McBride (writer and scholar) and guests, in English.
In six public reading group sessions, the participants work through a selection of short texts by James Baldwin, Ken Bugul, Teju Cole, Akwaeke Emezi, Bernardine Evaristo, Andrea Lee, Maaza Men, Kwame McPherson, Johny Pitts, Koleka Putuma, Zadie Smith, and Brandon Taylor.
All events will take place on site in the Studio Gegenwart. Guests will join online on selected dates and read from an existing or work in progress.
For interested parties aged 16 and over. Registration required via free ticket link, limited number of participants (25) per session. Participation possible on individual dates or the entire series. All texts will be made available to participants in English in advance.
Sindi-Leigh McBride is a writer and scholar from Johannesburg, South Africa based in Bern, Switzerland. Her research interests include contemporary art and literature, climate change, youth and work. She holds a PhD in African Studies from the University of Basel where she is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher. Recently, she has held fellowships at the University of Edinburgh and the University of Cape Town, and contributes to research projects at the Human Sciences Research Council in South Africa. Her arts criticism and short stories have appeared in numerous publications, and she is a co-editor of Lost Libraries, Burnt Archives (2023).
WORKSHOP
GEGENWART
15:00–16:30
The Role of Art in Shaping Historical Narratives. Mit Marilyn Umurungi
In German. In dieser Veranstaltung wird eine intersektionale, afrofeministische Sichtweise auf BIPoC-Gruppen und -Bewegungen vorgestellt, die für die Sichtbarkeit von Gemeinschaften in der Diaspora entscheidend geworden sind. Kosten: Eintritt + 5 CHF
WORKSHOP
11:00–17:00
Life by the river Together we will think about everyday life on the Rhine: the people, animals, plants, stones and everything else we encounter. What stories do the river and its banks tell us? What is the relationship between nature and culture around the Rhine? We will give form to our findings, reflections and impressions through paintings, drawings and frottages - outdoors if the weather is fine. Open to all. Participation free of charge.
CONVERSATION
18:00–21:00
The Critical Friends of "When We See Us" - historian Lorena Rizzo, curator Kadiatou Diallo and researcher Sindi-Leigh McBride - invite you to an evening with artists, activists and academics to discuss various socio-critical aspects in the discursive environment of "When We See Us", including white supremacy, questions of representation or the situatedness of the exhibition in a Swiss cultural landscape, and to discuss what a sustainable practice of international cooperation could look like. With an intervention by the Ensemble Institut Jazz and a pop-up bar. Admission: CHF 25/15
CONVERSATION
12:30–14:30
Discursive menu and installation by the Hybrid Project Space collective and chef Olivier Bur
At this special lunch, questions will be served that encourage reflection on the exhibition, its themes and the institutional context. Chef Olivier Bur will complement the discussion with food. Participation free of charge, Ticket via ticket link. Limited number of participants.
WORKSHOP
GEGENWART
15:00–16:30
The Functional Art Within Community. With Kwaku Dapaah Opoku
Artist and designer Kwaku Opoku leads a conversation centered around the intersection of art and community. The session will closely examine instances where necessities sculpted African ancestral artistic practices, seamlessly integrating functionality and shaping what we now recognise as art. Costs: Entry + 5 CHF