We are very happy to announce that AtWork New York “Where is South?” exhibition has inaugurated on June 12th at The Africa Center in New York.
The works that joined the existing “I had a dream” exhibition were created during the 5-day intensive AtWork workshop held at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Chelsea for a group of 23 young creative talents from New York, conducted by curator and AtWork advisor Simon Njami. The workshop kicked off AtWork Tour 2019 “Where is South?”.
Says Yohana Zecarias, the workshop participant, in her introduction to the exhibition’s catalogue:
“23 people came to a basement in New York City on May 30th 2019 thinking they would be given notebooks to write and explore the meaning of South. Some were artists, some were students, some were explorers and some were lost. Some spoke English, some spoke French, some spoke silence, some spoke Spanish, some spoke Pidgin and some spoke Italian. We were met by curator Simon Njami, who spoke all.
Shapeshifting between art critic and shaman, Njami posed questions that sent us back into ourselves, back to the womb, and back to South.
Where is South? We were called to interrogate the location, both literal and abstract, of a direction that has been loaded with meaning via politic and a manipulated objectivity. South is a cardinal direction, at least. At most, it is a relative starting point for our becoming. The space where we began. The place where we left. Day by day, we became the sculptors of our narrative, etching away at the layers of performance, politic, masks, and confusion that have been created and imposed by ourselves and others, obfuscating our space of origin.
What we found beyond the intellectual linguistic gymnastics was a vulnerability that shattered our complicated lies and pointed to our simple truths of being, love, life, and death. Even through disparate tongues, we were able to find each other in ourselves, to help each of us re-member what has been broken and lost.
Each piece in the exhibition is connected by a book. The book was our first material. We each used whatever tools necessary, by any means necessary, to express the South we could not see. To excavate the South that began with us.
22 people left this basement on June 3rd 2019 not with a book, but a vision and expression of their South. We were given the power of definition, and with it, we recreated stories of creation that located us as the starting point. Why do we hold onto stories and meanings that do not serve us; stories that bind and trap us? In order to be free, you must first understand what is keeping you bound.”
The exhibition, co-curated by the participants Dalaeja Foreman and Vasilis Onwuaduegbo, will stay at The Africa Center until July 28th. Check it out if in New York and stay tuned for more news on AtWork “Where is South?” Tour. Next chapter is Libreville, Gabon!
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.
