A new AtWork Chapter is on its way: it will take place on September 15-17th in Lisbon in partnership with the cultural center Hangar and one of its founders the artist Monica de Miranda. The workshop will be conducted by our advisor Simon Njami who will lead the 16 young creative talents from the African diaspora in the in-depth discussion on the topic “Where do we go from here?”. The conversation will be moderated by the local artists Herberto Smith, Antonio Britto Guterres and Jeanne Mercier.
A starting point, a future trajectory, a metaphor full of potential, on the movement towards elsewhere or the other. It alludes to the new discoveries, to widening one’s point of view “from here to there”, containing a potential of a promise.
As usual, AtWork deals with the challenging and hot topics. The critical debate triggers the creative process, which spills out the final result on the notebook, at once the container and the device. As often happens, the question is more intriguing than the answer. Where do we go from here? We will see where the Lisbon participants will take us with their notebooks, which will be exhibited from September 20th to October 14th at Hangar headquarters.
And talking about exhibitions, we have just come back from Zimbabwe, where AtWork Harare took place. 20 young creative talents, together with the educators, curators, entrepreneurs, have debated a highly relevant topic: “Can revolution be a whisper?” The discussion was expertly guided by the vigil and sharp eye of Andrew Tshabangu, the internationally renowned South African photographer, one of the protagonists of The Divine Comedy exhibition, on which he recollects in our Why Africa? column: “I came here to take photographs, but instead a window on my soul has been opened”.
Many windows have been opened during this AtWork at the Zimbabwe National Gallery. A new passionate wind has entered and each participant has elaborated their own personal revolution. The results will be on show from September 11th to October 31st when the created notebooks will be exhibited during the ICAC (International Community of performing Arts Curators) Conference. An international platform of cultural exchange among aritsts, curators, brokers that stimulates the “discovery of the other”. An open dialogue on the new artistic and cultural African scene. The African Conscience, posts Raphael Chikukwa on Facebook, has to continue to expand from generation to generation, without being apologetic about it.
Claude Bunny Massassa is a contemporary artist from Gabon. She created Bunny Studio in 2016, a start-up dedicated to photography production, which became DWABI Studio in 2021. As an artist, she has represented Gabon in many international exhibitions in Senegal, Uganda, France, the United States, and Italy. In her art, she denounces social stigmas around issues of identity and mental health, and explores themes of traditions and myths.
Executive Director Kimberly Aceves- Iñiguez has been passionately committed for over 20 years to social justice organizing and advocacy efforts that bring voice and power to youth, LGBTQ people, people of color, and working-class communities in the Bay Area. Before coming on as the Executive Director for RYSE, Kimberly served as the Executive Director for Youth Together, the founding organization of the RYSE Center.
Kanwarpal Dhaliwal is one of the co-founders of RYSE and currently acts as the Associate Director. She supports and guides the implementation and integration of healing-centered practices, grounded in racial justice and liberation, and also develops, promotes, and advocates for policies, investments, practices, and research that enliven healing, justice, and liberation. Kanwarpal believes that the purpose of her work and life is to contribute to movements, communities, and legacies of liberation that honor the ancestors who fought for her existence and survival, and to forge a world that is just and gentle for future generations.
Sagal Ali is the founder and executive director of SAF. After a few years in her career in heritage protection in the cultural sector, she decided to develop the initiative to directly support young creatives in Somalia by launching her own foundation. She hopes to bridge the social gaps and inequalities women face in Somalia, both in society and in the arts scene.
Co-founders Catherine Dunga and Marleen Palmaers created Kitambo to bridge the gap between the African diaspora in Colombia and the narratives from the continent. From Kinshasa and Antwerp respectively, they work to connect African artists from the continent and their peers from the Colombian diaspora.
Martha Kazungu is a curator, art Historian and Founder of Njabala Foundation, an organization that curates periodic exhibitions and organizes a public program of activities to create a safe space for female artists to thrive and blossom.
Alicia Hansen is a photographer and teacher from New York. She founded NYC SALT in 2008 and, beyond teaching valuable creative skills to her students, has developed a long-term support system to uplift them through school and into their early artistic careers.
