Program

 

16 April 2024

Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal
Venice, Italy

AAVF 2024 panels will soon be available on our YouTube channel.

 

TUESDAY, APRIL 16th

 

8:30 am

Opening Breakfast by Strauss & Co (RSVP)

 

10:00 am

Opening remarks by African Art Dialogues

 

10:15 am

Catalysts of Change: Shaping the Venice Biennale from the African Continent (Book your free ticket)

In the inaugural panel of AAVF 2024, we pivot from the traditional focus on African presence in Venice to spotlight African agency in reshaping the Venice Biennale. Exploring the role of African organizations, we illuminate their vital contributions to empowering artists, facilitating access, and shaping global art narratives.

Presented by African Art Dialogues with Africa No Filter 

Moderator:

Janine Sytsma, Assistant Professor, Contemporary Arts of Global Africa, University of Arkansas, School of Art

Speakers:

Simon Njami, Curator, Ivory Coast Pavillion

Akaye Kerunen, Curator, Ugandan Pavillion

Georgia Harrell, Director, Black Rock Senegal

Ced’art Tamasala, Artist, Vice President of CATPC, Lusanga DR Congo

Adenile Borna Soglo, Director of Borna Soglo Gallery, Cotonou, Benin - Member of the Crèation Africa Delegation

 

11:45 pm

What Should We Celebrate Now? Reimagining African Modernism (Book your free ticket)

What enduring influence does the political, intellectual, and cultural activism of African modernists hold in contemporary art? How does their legacy shape global discourse, including the Venice Biennale? Why does this impact matter? The panel tries to reflect on their revolutionary spirit, uncover their artistic innovations, and embrace their enduring legacy in today's creative landscape.

Presented by African Art Dialogues with Strauss & Co and Africa No Filter

Moderator:

Heba El Kayal, Independent Curator and Writer

In conversation with:

Frank Kilbourn, Executive Chairperson, Strauss & Co

 

1:15 pm 

Foyer Activity - Toast With The Author  - Book Presentation by Ntshepe Tsekere Bopape (Mo Laudi)

Join us for the launch of "Globalisto: A Philosophy in Flux. Acts of an Imbizo," a groundbreaking book echoing transformative global shifts. Orchestrated by visionary curator Ntshepe Tsekere Bopape and MAMC+ Director Aurélie Voltz, the event promises a journey through collective dialogue and socially engaged art. The Globalisto philosophy embodies African knowledge systems, post-apartheid transitionalism, and radical hospitality, envisioning a borderless world. "Acts of an Imbizo" aspires to be a hybrid catalogue and symposium proceedings publication, reflecting the exhibition at MAMC+ and the symposium. Edited by Bopape and Alexandre Quoi, distributed by Les Presses du Réel, with contributions by notable figures including Achille Mbembe and Elsa M'Bala, and featuring works by artists such as Sam Gilliam and Lubaina Himid.

Speakers:

Ntshepe Tsekere Bopape, Artist, Curator, DJ, Writer

Aurélie Voltz, Director, MAMC+

 

2 pm

Nomadic Voices: Asiko Art School and the Global Dialogue on Belonging (Book your free ticket)

"Nomadic Voices: Àsìkò Art School & Global Belonging" delves into the identity of the travelling African art school founded in 2010 by the late Bisi Silva at the Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos (CCA, Lagos). The panel will explore the critical methodologies and histories that underpin the artistic and curatorial practice of the program's roving nature across anglophone, francophone, and lusophone Africa, paying homage to Silva's vision and her substantial contribution to arts education across Africa. Additionally, the panel will introduce the exhibition "Passengers in Transit," which will be presented by CCA, Lagos as part of the collateral programs at the Venice Biennale.

Presented by CCA Lagos

Moderator:

Dolly Kola Balogun, Founder & Creative Director Retro Africa 

Speakers:

Euridice Zaituna Kala, Visual Artist

Igo Diarra, Founder and Director Galerie Médina

Emmanuel Ndefo, Artist / Researcher

Oyindamola Fakeye, Director Àsìkò Art School/ Centre for Contemporary Art Lagos

Tyna Adebowale, Multimedia Artist

 

3:30 pm 

Foyer Activity - Meet the 10 members of the Crèation Africa Delegation. Discover their projects, perspectives and aspirations firsthand. The Creation Africa Mobility Program at the 2024 Venice Biennale is a project by the Institute Français to amplify and strengthen professionals and art centres that participate in shaping the future of the African continent’s art market.

  • Edna Bettencourt, Angola – Project manager for the NESR Art Foundation
  • Adenile Borna Soglo, Benin – Gallery owner, curator
  • Fabiola Ecot Ayissi, Cameroon – Art centre director, curator
  • Don Handa, Kenya – Curator
  • Darlyne Komukama, Uganda – Residency program manager, curator
  • Mbogo Matunge, Tanzania – Art Centre director, residency program manager
  • Aurélien Mvesso, Cameroon – Curator, museum manager
  • Hobisoa Raininoro, Madagascar – Curator, cultural program manager
  • Kefiloe Siwisa, South Africa – Curator
  • Éric Wonanu, Togo – Curator, artist, art centre director

 

4:15 pm

The Missing Link - East Africa Modernism reviewed (Book your free ticket)

The panel presents the first results of a pioneering collaborative project of retelling the history of Eastern African art modernism. Art historians from Eastern Africa bring to life images and narratives reshaping the paradigm on the evolution, the roots, and the role of modernist art production from the region in the African and global art canons. Experts delve into bridging scholarship gaps and promoting appreciation for the region's diversity, unveiling the interplay of cultural influences. Discussants highlight how modern and contemporary art reflect experiments shaped by diverse agents and cultural exchanges, including hitherto unknown perspectives on Arabic trade and European interactions. This pioneering initiative not only details East African modernisms' origin and processes but also unearths previously undocumented cultural heritage, transcending national borders and political complexities."

Presented by Makerere Consortium and EAMAN

Moderator:

Dr. Beatrix Gassmann de Sousa, Course Editor and Academic Advisor

Speakers:

Mifta Zeleke, Curator and Lecturer, Alle School of Fine Art

Muhunyo Maina, Art Historian

George Kyeyune, Associate Professor, Sculpture and History of African Art, Makerere University

 

HOW TO REACH US

The African Art in Venice Forum is held at the Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal, Piazza San Marco 1332, 30124 Venezia (entrance from Calle Vallaresso).

The AAVF Foyer is in Sala Vallaresso, while the AAVF Auditorium is in Sala Corte.

The staircase from the hall on the ground floor will bring you to the Foyer in Sala Crozzola. The African Art in Venice Team will welcome you there.

Join OUR community

 #AAVF2024 #inclusivedialoguematters #africanartdialogues

info@aavforum.com

Copyright 2024 African Art Dialogues
Powered by: Net-Uno