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Artist Ibrahim Mahama ‘time travels' between British colonial and independent Ghana, tracing railway lines across African and European countries in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in the 20th century. Ibrahim Mahama is well-known for his large-scale, site-specific installations that speak to the local effects of colonialism, migration, and global economics. Working in Tamale, Kumasi, and Accra, Ghana, he often works with found materials, collected from abandoned places of pre- and post-independence production. Spanning what was then known as the Gold Coast, the Sekondi Locomotive Workshop was built by the British in 1923, to extract and transport resources like cocoa and minerals, the foundations of European colonial wealth and contemporary capitalism. With charcoal and ink drawings, sculptures and film, Ibrahim connects the histories, legacies, and labourers of this now disused railway back to the UK - layering them atop Waverley, one of the nation's busiest train stations, for his first exhibition in Scotland. With Ibrahim's jute sack textile installations, we discuss shared practices of reuse, repurpose, and recycle with El Anatsui, an inspiration from an older generation who is also exhibiting for the first time in the city of Edinburgh. He shares photographs, personal letters, stamps from his archive, highlighting the respect shown to West African leaders like Kwame Nkrumah in countries of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), especially socialist Yugoslavia. Using train carriages as sculptures, galleries, and classrooms back in Tamale, Ibrahim reconstructs Ghana's colonial past to build its future, reversing flows of trade and migration to Africa. We discuss the potential and ‘charge' within these materials which, like bodies, carry lived experience and knowledge, and the complex relationship with lasting architectures and ‘rural cosmopolitanism' in societies today. Ibrahim also shares his collaborations across African and diasporic communities, with craftspeople, weavers, and makers at his Red Clay Studio in northern Ghana, to artists like Anya Paintsil in Manchester. Ibrahim Mahama: Songs about Roses runs at Fruitmarket in Edinburgh until 6 October 2024. A book launch and artist talk takes place on the penultimate day of the exhibition (the day before the exhibition closes). A Spell of Good Things opens at White Cube New York on 5 September 2024. Parliament of Ghosts (2019) continues online via the Whitworth, theVOV, and Vortic Art. And Purple Hibiscus, part of Unravel: The Power & Politics of Textiles in Art, was installed at the Barbican in London through summer 2024. Hear artist Serge Attukwei Clottey live at the Eden Project in Cornwall, on his family's internal migration from Jamestown/Usshertown in British Accra, Ghana, to coastal La (Labadi), Afrogallonism, and his collaborative practice, uplifting his community with upcycled plastic waste, through Noko Y3 Dzen (There's Something in the World) (2018–Now): pod.link/1533637675/episode/8093f81c6a2eaaf7589bb73768e2a20c PRODUCER: Jelena Sofronijevic. Follow EMPIRE LINES on Instagram: instagram.com/empirelinespodcast And Twitter: twitter.com/jelsofron/status/1306563558063271936 Support EMPIRE LINES on Patreon: patreon.com/empirelines
TETTEH NTENI is a solo exhibition by Ghanaian artist Serge Attukwei Clottey that currently runs at Simchowitz DTLA in Los ...
Artist Serge Attukwei Clottey joins EMPIRE LINES live at the Eden Project in Cornwall, to discuss Afrogallonism, uplifting communities with upcycled plastic waste, and how the traditional Ghanaian harvest festival of Homowo challenges colonial hierarchies of gender. Accra-based artist Serge Attukwei Clottey works across installation, performance, photography, painting, and sculpture, exploring personal and political narratives rooted in histories of trade and migration. He refers to his practice with yellow plastic, Kufuor-era, cooking oil cans as ‘Afrogallonism', using found and recycled materials to create a dialogue with the city's cultural history and identity, whilst exploring the meanings that are invested in everyday objects, and how they circulate in local and global economies. Referencing Ghana's historic wealth, a region known as the Gold Coast during British colonial rule during 19th and 20th century, Serge's installations like Follow the Yellow Brick Road (2015-2020) also serve a practical function, in creating wealth and employment for the local community. On display alongside his existing work at the Eden Project is a new audio piece, a remembrance of famine that once befell pre-colonial Ghana, and is once again impacting farmers as a consequence of climate change. Serge talks about his family's migration from city of Jamestown/Usshertown, in British Accra, to La (Labadi), on the coast, and how water has long infiltrated his practice. We discuss the realities of resource extraction and consumption captured by his work, connecting with the likes of Romauld Hazoumè, El Anatsui, Zina Saro-Wiwa, and Wura-Natasha Ogunji. Serge shares his interest in political performance art, and collaborating with young people. We open My Mother's Wardrobe (2015-2016), in which Serge invited men to wear women's clothes and make-up to perform everyday and ritual tasks, disrupting conventions of gender and sexuality imposed upon and appropriated by many African countries during colonial rule. And Serge talks about his commissions across the world, from Desert X, to Kew Gardens, and the National Portrait Gallery in London, where his Windrush Portrait of Mr. Laceta Reid proudly stands. This episode was recorded live at Reclaim - a weekend of talks and events at the Eden Project in Cornwall, curated to support mental and planetary wellbeing - in January 2024: edenproject.com/visit/whats-on/reclaim Acts of Gathering runs at the Eden Project in Cornwall until 14 April 2024. For more, hear curators Misha Curson and Hannah Hooks in the episode on Learning from Artemisia, Uriel Orlow and Orchestre Jeunes Étoiles des Astres (2019-2020): pod.link/1533637675/episode/0e8ab778b4ce1ad24bc15df3fec5a386 For more about African masks and performance, listen to Osei Bonsu, curator of A World in Common: Contemporary African Photography at Tate Modern in London: pod.link/1533637675/episode/386dbf4fcb2704a632270e0471be8410 About Ashanti Hare, and the south-west arts ecology, hear curator Ashish Ghadiali on Radical Ecology's recent exhibition at KARST in Plymouth: pod.link/1533637675/episode/146d4463adf0990219f1bf0480b816d3 For more ‘African' textiles, hear Dr. Chris Spring on Thabo, Thabiso and Blackx, Araminta de Clermont (2010): pod.link/1533637675/episode/a32298611ba95c955aba254a4ef996dd And on sea/water as a historical archive, listen to these episodes on: John Akomfrah's Arcadia (2023), at The Box in Plymouth: pod.link/1533637675/episode/31cdf80a5d524e4f369140ef3283a6cd Julianknxx's Chorus in Rememory of Flight (2023), at the Barbican in London: pod.link/1533637675/episode/1792f53fa27b8e2ece289b53dd62b2b7 WITH: Dr. Serge Attukwei Clottey, Accra-based visual artist. ART: ‘Noko Y3 Dzen (There's Something in the World) (2018–Now)'. PRODUCER: Jelena Sofronijevic. Follow EMPIRE LINES on Instagram: instagram.com/empirelinespodcast And Twitter: twitter.com/jelsofron/status/1306563558063271936 Support EMPIRE LINES on Patreon: patreon.com/empirelines
Curators Hannah Hooks and Misha Curson connect global environments and food practices, from guerrilla gardeners in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to foragers in Palestine, challenging extractive, colonial approaches to land through contemporary art at the Eden Project in Cornwall. Artemisia afra – or African wormwood – is traditionally used as a medicine to prevent and treat malaria. This knowledge long been passed down through generations and communities via music and craft, both marginalised in Western rational thought. In the 1970s, research to develop new anti-malarial drugs led to the discovery, extraction, and patenting of Artemisin - already used for two thousand years in China and Asia. Whilst still cultivated by some women's cooperatives in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the plant, and its producers, have been continually suppressed and banned, by the Belgian colonial administration in the 19th century, to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Big Pharma businesses. With a multimedia installation of film, song, and tea tastings, Swiss artist Uriel Orlow seeks to platform these ongoing practices. He joins other contemporary artists in Acts of Gathering, a new exhibition at the Eden Project in Cornwall which explores how our relationship with food is linked with the land, environment, and labour that goes into its production. Harvest festivals in Homowo in Ghana and Guldize in Cornwall link the different practices of Serge Attukwei Clottey and Jonathan Baldock. Meanwhile, in Jumana Manna's film FORAGERS (2022), we see how Israeli nature protection laws prohibit the foraging of native plants, alienating Palestinians from their land, and sustainable harvesting practices. Curators Misha Curson and Hannah Hooks connect traditions across cultures, acknowledging how human and planetary health are also entwined. We discuss legacies of extraction in science, botany, and renewed mining in Africa. Misha and Hannah suggest why some local methods are classed (and commodified) as sustainable, while others are marginalised by globalisation, industrial farming, and neoimperial hierarchies. Plus, we discuss the opportunities Eden presents for public participation, access, and activation as a non-conventional museum space, its position within the wider arts ecology of south-west England, and its own regeneration, as a former clay mine. Acts of Gathering runs at the Eden Project in Cornwall until 14 April 2024. For more, join EMPIRE LINES in conversation with artist Serge Attukwei Clottey at Reclaim - a weekend of talks and events at Eden, curated to support mental and planetary wellbeing - which takes place from 27-28 January 2024: edenproject.com/visit/whats-on/reclaim For more about the arts ecology of south-west England, hear curator Ashish Ghadiali on Radical Ecology's recent exhibition at KARST in Plymouth, on EMPIRE LINES: pod.link/1533637675/episode/146d4463adf0990219f1bf0480b816d3 And Morad Montazami, curator of the Casablanca Art School (1962-1987), currently at Tate St Ives in Cornwall: pod.link/1533637675/episode/db94bc51e697400326f308f6c6eaa3c6 For more on music, memory, and history, hear Barbican curator Eleanor Nairne on Julianknxx's Chorus in Rememory of Flight (2023), on EMPIRE LINES: pod.link/1533637675/episode/1792f53fa27b8e2ece289b53dd62b2b7 And on the globalisation of 'African' masks, listen to Osei Bonsu, curator of A World in Common: Contemporary African Photography at Tate Modern: pod.link/1533637675/episode/386dbf4fcb2704a632270e0471be8410 WITH: Misha Curson and Hannah Hooks, Senior Arts Curator and Arts Curator at the Eden Project, Cornwall. ART: ‘Learning from Artemisia, Uriel Orlow and Orchestre Jeunes Étoiles des Astres (2019-2020)'. SOUNDS: Orchestre Jeunes Étoiles des Astres. PRODUCER: Jelena Sofronijevic. Follow EMPIRE LINES on Instagram: instagram.com/empirelinespodcast And Twitter: twitter.com/jelsofron/status/1306563558063271936 Support EMPIRE LINES on Patreon: patreon.com/empirelines
L'art contemporain ghanéen bénéficie d’une reconnaissance internationale grandissante, et de plus en plus de collectionneurs s’arrachent les oeuvres produites dans ce petit pays d’Afrique de l’Ouest. Mais le marché local pâtit encore de son manque d’infrastructures. De notre correspondante à Accra, C’est au Villagio, l’immeuble le plus huppé de la capitale, que la nouvelle galerie d’art contemporain Ada s’est installée en octobre dernier. Sa directrice, Adora Mba, en est sûre : le Ghana s’apprête à devenir la tête de pont de l’art contemporain africain.« Le monde entier a les yeux rivés sur le Ghana. Nous avons tant d’artistes de talent qui connaissent une reconnaissance internationale, que le monde désormais est forcé de nous regarder. La plupart de mes acheteurs sont internationaux : beaucoup d’Afro-Américains, d’Européens… Des Asiatiques, aussi : Hong-Kong, Chine, Corée, Émirats arabes unis… C’est un moment incroyable. Certains appellent ça une mode, mais je vois plutôt ça comme une reconnaissance. » L’art contemporain ghanéen a déjà ses grands noms. Le peintre Amoako Boafo est devenu l’an dernier le deuxième artiste africain le plus coté au monde. Le plasticien Serge Attukwei Clottey, qui crée des installations colorées avec du plastique de récupération, était exposé en mars dernier à Coachella. Manque d'infrastructures dédiées à l'art au Ghana Malgré cet engouement, le Ghana souffre encore d’un manque d’infrastructures. Il n’existe pas de musée national, et la capitale Accra ne compte que deux galeries et une seule résidence d’artistes, Noldor, qui a ouvert ses portes en novembre dernier. Son fondateur, Joseph Awuah-Darko, explique avoir voulu offrir un refuge aux artistes en temps de Covid. « La pandémie a aggravé la situation pour les artistes locaux. Au Ghana, il y a un manque sévère de soutien financier aux infrastructures pour les artistes contemporains émergents. La mission que je me suis donnée a été de construire une résidence d’artistes qui serait à la fois une communauté d’artistes, une plaque tournante et un espace pour la prolifération créative. » Et pour bâtir un modèle économique viable en pleine crise économique, il a fallu prendre appui sur le soutien de la diaspora. « Nous sommes une organisation à but non lucratif, nous subsistons grâce aux donations. Nous avons eu la chance d’être soutenus par des mécènes expérimentés, comme l’architecte Sir David Adjaye. Nous prenons aussi une commission sur les ventes des artistes, afin de garder notre modèle économique durable. » Plus d'argent public pour soutenir l'industrie locale L'objectif est de démocratiser l’accès à la production artistique pour faire émerger de nouveaux talents, comme Joshua Oheneba-Takyi, artiste peintre de 23 ans. « J’arrive ici le matin, je me mets directement à peindre. Je passe la plupart de mon temps dans ce studio. Je pratique un mélange d’art abstrait et figuré. Mes revenus proviennent des ventes de mes œuvres et d’une bourse pour jeunes artistes offerte par Noldor. C’est un environnement de travail très favorable, que je suis content d’avoir trouvé. » Artistes comme galeristes appellent maintenant l’État ghanéen à injecter plus d’argent public pour soutenir l’industrie locale… sous peine de voir ses artistes de renom s’installer à l’étranger, comme l’a déjà fait Amoako Boafo.
In this episode of Showcase; The Berlin International Film Festival 00:42 Scott Roxborough, Culture Reporter 01:13 Bauhaus Movement 05:55 Brexit Impact on the Arts 11:16 Robert Eaglestone, Editor of Brexit and Literature 13:31 Anila Quayyum Agha's Immersive Installations 23:39 #Berlinale #Brexit #Bauhaus
Director of Fabrica Gallery Liz Whitehead explains the art of Serge Attukwei Clottey and his Current Affairs, a project which repurposes petrol cans and funds the Ghanaian community.
Melita & Rebecca keep you up to date with the Brighton Festival. Today, interviews with writer, director and cast of My Left Right Foot, the musical comedy in partnership with the National Theatre of Scotland; the director of Fabrica Gallery on Ghanaian artist Serge Attukwei Clottey's installation Current Affairs; Nwando Ebizie, the artist behind Distorted Constellations; Jaamil Kosoko on his show Seancers at ACCA; and a review of Gonzales' performance at the Dome.
Ghanaian artist Serge Attukwei Clottey explains his exhibition at Fabrica gallery.
Acclaimed Ghanaian artist Serge Attukwei Clottey sits down with Edwin Gilson to discuss his Afrogallonism work and his collaboration with the University.
IN STUDIO with Sharon Obuobi is a series about the stories of art makers, curators and influencers who inspire thoughtful perspectives on the world around us. In this episode, I chat with Serge Attukwei Clottey about the practice of performance as a way of life, traditional gender roles with ancestry, and how he engages his community with his work. Serge is known for his sculptural installations made from the pieces of yellow gallons. In his performance art, photography, and sculpture, he explores personal and political narratives rooted in histories of trade and migration. To see more of Serge's work, visit our Instagram page @InStudiowithSO. Learn more about us or shop our collection at www.instudiowithso.com. -- All views and opinions expressed by guests are their own.
Serge Attukwei Clottey talked with Wael Hattar about his art practise, focusing on his more recent works in performance and social interaction, as well as his interest in working on topics of migration and gender. They also discussed the art scene in Ghana with it's community and politics. The show "The Displaced" at LawrieShabibi is on from 20 January until 3 March 2018, and part of a Gallery Takeover by Gallery 1957 from Accra, Ghana. You can find more information on their web page. http://www.lawrieshabibi.com/exhibitions/57/overview/ - You can view more images on our Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/p/BetHKGWBdB7/?taken-by=teawithculture. All images courtesy Gallery 1957 and the artist - You can find the link to the Video piece discussed "The Displaced" through this link from a review last year in Sleek of his show at Jane Lombard Gallery in NewYork http://www.sleek-mag.com/2017/01/18/serge-attukwei-clottey/
1-54 Forum London 6 - 9 October 2016 Artist Talk Artist Serge Attukwei Clottey in conversation with Nana Oforiatta Ayim (Creative Director of Gallery 1957, Accra and Founding Director of cultural research initiative, ANO). www.1-54.com