Sunday Artist Talks
In two rounds of discussion, artists of the exhibition consider the function and significance of painting and art in the Pan-African context as well as the artistic and social challenges with which they currently see themselves confronted.
The discussions are held in English.
Sunday, May 26, 2024 Curator Tandazani Dhlakama with Esiri Erheriene-Essi (Amsterdam) and Kambui Olujimi (New York)
11.15 a.m.–12.45 p.m., Studio Gegenwart
Costs: CHF 10/5 (+ Optional: Entry CHF 13)
Esiri Erheriene-Essi (b. London, UK, 1982, lives and works in Amsterdam)
After obtaining her MFA from the University of East London in 2006, Erheriene-Essi attended De Ateliers in Amsterdam, where she currently resides. Her paintings archive moments from Black people’s lives with vibrant depth, colour and detail, counteracting the flatness of the Black figures in the canonical narratives she seeks to imagine more humanely.
Kambui Olujimi (b. 1976, lives and works in Brooklyn/New York)
The work of Kambui Olujimi challenges established modes of thinking that commonly function as “inevitabilities.” This pursuit takes shape through interdisciplinary bodies of work spanning sculpture, installation, photography, writing, video and performance. His works have premiered nationally and internationally at Sundance Film Festival, Museum of Modern Art, LACMA, Sharjah Biennial 15, 14th Dak’Art Biennale, and Kunsthal Rotterdam, among others.
Sunday, September 1, 2024 with Sungi Mlengeya (Dar es Salaam), Meleko Mokgosi (Massachusetts), Joy Labinjo (London)
11.15 a.m.–12.45 p.m., Studio Gegenwart
Sungi Mlengeya (b. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 1991, lives and works in Dar es Salaam)
Mlengaya is a self-taught artist. Her paintings make use of minimalist forms and negative space to create portraits of Blackness and womanhood, depicting dark figures in shades of black and brown placed against perfectly white backgrounds. These compositions explore self-discovery and empowerment.
Meleko Mokgosi (b. Francistown, Botswana, 1981, lives and works in Massachusetts)
Mokgosi, who holds an MFA from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), is an artist and associate professor of painting and drawing at Yale School of Art, Connecticut. His large-scale paintings critically explore themes of colonialism, democracy, nationalism, and liberation in southern Africa.
Joy Labinjo (b. London, UK, 1994, lives and works in London)
Labinjo studied at the University of Newcastle, then at the Ruskin School of Art at Oxford University. Her vibrant, large-scale paintings are based on collaged fragments of images from her family archive and other sources. Her work explores diasporic communities and the multiplicity of her identity as a Black woman.
Juin
15:00–17:00
A Light Lyricism. Reading Group and Literary Companion to "When We See Us"
With Sindi-Leigh McBride (researcher and writer) and guests
In English. In six public reading group sessions, we work through a selection of 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 texts will be made available to participants in advance. Age: from 16 years. Admission is free, registration is required via ticket link.
FÜHRUNG
GEGENWART
15:00–16:00
Führung in der Ausstellung «When We See Us. Hundert Jahre panafrikanische figurative Malerei»
En allemand. Kosten: Eintritt + CHF 5.
FÜHRUNG
GEGENWART
16:00–17:00
Guided tour of the exhibition "When We See Us. A Century of Black Figuration in Painting"
En anglais. Costs: Admission + CHF 5.
CONCERT
18:00–19:00
When We Hear Us avec Neo Muyanga
Explorations musicales autour de « When We See Us »
Lors d'un concert live, le musicien et compositeur sud-africain Neo Muyanga et l'ensemble de l'Institut Jazz de la FHNW présenteront des sons transcendant les genres et transposant les thèmes de l'exposition « When We See Us » dans la sphère sonore. Côut: CHF 20/15. Tickets via ticket link.
15:00–17:00
A Light Lyricism. Reading Group and Literary Companion to "When We See Us"
With Sindi-Leigh McBride (researcher and writer) and guests
In English. In six public reading group sessions, we work through a selection of 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 texts will be made available to participants in advance. Age: from 16 years. Admission is free, registration is required via ticket link.
FÜHRUNG
GEGENWART
15:00–16:00
Führung in der Ausstellung «When We See Us. Hundert Jahre panafrikanische figurative Malerei»
En allemand. Kosten: Eintritt + CHF 5.
NEUBAU Eventfoyer
19:00–20:00
Nakhane, «Endo-» – Performance
Le multitalent sud-africain vient à Bâle avec la performance musicale « Endo- ». Celle-ci a été spécialement commandée par le Kunstmuseum Basel pour l'exposition « When We See Us. Cent ans de peinture figurative panafricaine ». Le travail de Nakhane a été salué par Elton John, qui a interviewé Nakhane, et par Madonna, qui a déclaré que Nakhane était l'une de ses deux artistes préférées. Coût: CHF 25/15.
GEGENWART
11:30–12:15
When We Hear Us mit Neo Muyanga
Musical Explorations around "When We See Us"
During Art Basel, the Neo Muyanga Ensemble will host solos, duos and small ensemble formation sessions inspired by the "When We See Us" playlists and workshops; deconstructing “African Music” and exploring the complex echoes between music and the visual arts, the boundary-crossing aesthetic contained in the sonic palette of the diaspora. A Cooperation with Institute Jazz | FHNW, Basel. Costs: Entry.
16:00–17:00
When We Hear Us mit Neo Muyanga
Musikalische Erkundungen rund um «When We See Us»
Präsentation neuer Sounds und musikalischer Experimente, die auf der vom südafrikanischen Musiker und Komponisten Neo Muyanga konzipierten «When We See Us» Playlist der Ausstellung und den in Basel durchgeführten Workshops basieren. Eine Zusammenarbeit mit dem Institut Jazz | FHNW, Basel. Teilnahme kostenlos, Ticket erforderlich via Ticketlink.
MESSE BASEL, HALL 1
19:00–20:00
Art Basel | Conversations: When We See Us
Messe Basel, Hall 1
"When We See Us" curator Koyo Kouoh will discuss the themes in the exhibition, currently on show at Kunstmuseum Basel, with artists Kudzanai-Violet Hwami and Tschabalala Self. Presented in collaboration with Art Basel.
GEGENWART
11:30–12:15
When We Hear Us mit Neo Muyanga
Musikalische Erkundungen rund um «When We See Us»
Präsentation neuer Sounds und musikalischer Experimente, die auf der vom südafrikanischen Musiker und Komponisten Neo Muyanga konzipierten «When We See Us» Playlist der Ausstellung und den in Basel durchgeführten Workshops basieren. Eine Zusammenarbeit mit dem Institut Jazz | FHNW, Basel. Kosten: Eintritt.
16:00–17:00
When We Hear Us mit Neo Muyanga
Musikalische Erkundungen rund um «When We See Us»
Präsentation neuer Sounds und musikalischer Experimente, die auf der vom südafrikanischen Musiker und Komponisten Neo Muyanga konzipierten «When We See Us» Playlist der Ausstellung und den in Basel durchgeführten Workshops basieren. Eine Zusammenarbeit mit dem Institut Jazz | FHNW, Basel. Teilnahme kostenlos, Ticket erforderlich via Ticketlink.
FÜHRUNG
GEGENWART
15:00–16:00
Führung in der Ausstellung «When We See Us. Hundert Jahre panafrikanische figurative Malerei»
En allemand. Kosten: Eintritt + CHF 5.
15:00–17:00
A Light Lyricism. Reading Group and Literary Companion to "When We See Us"
With Sindi-Leigh McBride (researcher and writer) and guests
In English. In six public reading group sessions, we work through a selection of 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 texts will be made available to participants in advance. Age: from 16 years. Admission is free, registration is required via ticket link.
FÜHRUNG
GEGENWART
15:00–16:00
Führung in der Ausstellung «When We See Us. Hundert Jahre panafrikanische figurative Malerei»
En allemand. Kosten: Eintritt + CHF 5.
FÜHRUNG
GEGENWART
15:00–16:00
Visite guidée de l'exposition « When We See Us. Un siècle de peinture figurative panafricaine ».
Coût : entrée + CHF 5.
CONVERSATION
NEUBAU
19:30–21:00
Fragen der Zeit: Teju Cole
Gespräch zum neusten Buch des amerikanisch-nigerianischen Autors Teju Cole, das jetzt auf Deutsch erscheint. Cole taucht in «Tremor» tief in die Kolonialgeschichte der USA ein und untersucht mit literarischen Mitteln, wie diese bis heute ihre Spuren hinterlässt.
15:00–17:00
A Light Lyricism. Reading Group and Literary Companion to "When We See Us"
With Sindi-Leigh McBride (researcher and writer) and guests
In English. In six public reading group sessions, we work through a selection of 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 texts will be made available to participants in advance. Age: from 16 years. Admission is free, registration is required via ticket link.
WORKSHOP
GEGENWART
15:00–16:30
Dialogue Session
Storytelling Through Design. With Cherry-Ann Morgan
En anglais. Hosted by Visual Designer and Artist Cherry Ann Morgan, this session is a practical workshop on storytelling and pluralistic futures within visual design. Costs: Entry + 5 CHF
WORKSHOP
11:00–17:00
Offenes Studio Gegenwart
De la vie au bord du fleuve Ensemble, nous réfléchissons à la vie quotidienne au bord du Rhin : les hommes, les animaux, les plantes, les pierres et tout ce que nous rencontrons. Quelles histoires le fleuve et ses rives nous racontent-ils ? Quel est le rapport entre la nature et la culture autour du Rhin ? Nous donnerons une forme à nos trouvailles, réflexions et impressions par des peintures, dessins et frottages - en plein air si le temps le permet. Ouvert à tous. Participation gratuite.
