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.
Juillet
WORKSHOP
18:00–21:00
Drink'n Draw
En allemand. Inspiriert von den Werken der Ausstellung zeichnen wir gemeinsam. Begleitet wird das Event von Plattfon Records, Basel, mit einer speziell für das Studio Gegenwart konzipierten Musikauswahl. Kostenlose Teilnahme am Zeichnungs-Workshop. Drinks an der Pop-up-Bar.
CONVERSATION
12:30–14:30
Serving Questions
AUSGEBUCHT!
En anglais. With Chef Olivier Bur complementing the discussion topics with dishes. At an extraordinary lunch, participants will be served questions that encourage them to reflect on the exhibition "When we see us", its themes and the institutional context. Discursive menu and installation by the Hybrid Project Space collective and chef Olivier Bur. 12.30-2.00 PM: Participation free of charge, ticket required via ticket link. Limited number of participants. 2.00-6.00 PM: Installation open at Studio Gegenwart. Participation free of charge, no registration required.
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
Guided tour of the exhibition «When We See Us. A Century of Black Figuration in Painting»
En anglais. Costs: Admission + CHF 5.
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.
VISITE GUIDÉE PAR LA COMMISSAIRE D'EXPOSITION
GEGENWART
18:30–19:30
Kuratorinnenführung in der Ausstellung «When We See Us. Hundert Jahre panafrikanische figurative Malerei»
En allemand. Mit der Kuratorin Anita Haldemann. Kosten: Eintritt + CHF 5.
WORKSHOP
GEGENWART
15:00–16:30
Dialogue Session
The Functional Art Within Community. With Kwaku Dapaah Opoku
En anglais. A dialogue session on the functionality of African Art derived from shared community practices. The interdisciplinary dialogue series aims to foster conversations that connect museum audiences with the diverse spectrum of Black and African diasporic perspectives in Swiss society. This series is curated by Keabetswe Boccomino (Afrinova). Limited number of participants. Costs: Admission + CHF 5.
WORKSHOP
11:00–17:00
Offenes Studio Gegenwart: Der Sommer zeichnet Geschichte.
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.
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.
