The Vehicles and the Vessels
Curated by myself and Paula de Almeida
May 2021
This online programme of talks considered the role of the artists and creative spaces as vehicles and vessels that share our human narratives and as chroniclers of our accomplishments and failures. The programme drew from a quote by Dindga McCannon, whose work is on display at Knotted Ties, that describes artists as ‘just the vehicle or the vessel that this creativity is going through… I’m doing what’s necessary for the pieces, for the story that I have to tell.’* How do artists (re)tell human stories and lessons learnt? Do creatives pass these narratives on with only a little interference, like a vessel? Do they drive them on pre-existing paths or tread them to new grounds and destinations?
Poignantly, this programme took place following a year of outrage, conversations and initiatives fuelled by recurrent tragedies, that previously received little attention, such as the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, and many other individuals. It also followed new upheavals, such as the pandemic, that both presented new existential struggles, but also laid bare deep and systemic disparities.
1-54 Forum focused on narrative dissemination through visual art and the role of creative spaces in (re)telling as futures are mapped and built in the erraticism of the present.
Participants included Igi Lola Ayedun, Thiago De Paula Souza, Claude Grunitzky, Carollina Lauriano, Kilolo Luckett, Dindga McCannon, Kneo Mokgopa, Colleen Ritzau Leth, Destinee Ross-Sutton, Micha Serraf, Everette Taylor, Timothy Washington and Tina Williams Brewer.
The Programme
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Artist Talk with the 2021 Ritzau Art Prize Winner | Micha Serraf
We are pleased to announce that MICHA SERRAF is the winner of the Ritzau Art Prize 2021! Serraf will be speaking about his practice alongside COLLEEN RITZAU LETH (Founder of the Ritzau Art Prize) and KNEO MOKGOPA (Advocacy Manager, Nelson Mandela Foundation). The Ritzau Art Prize is an award supporting extraordinary artists from the African continent with three-month career-enhancing residencies at International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) in New York City supported by Tauck Ritzau Innovative Philanthropy.
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Threading Histories: Dindga McCannon and Tina Williams Brewer in Conversation
World-renowned artists DINDGA MCCANNON and TINA WILLIAMS BREWER have taken quilting and storytelling practices to new realms, memorialising African American histories as they do. Led by curator and art historian KILOLO LUCKETT, McCannon and, Williams Brewer will explore their work in Knotted Ties as well as their work more broadly within the context of quilting practices in the US.
A Reflection: The arts in the time of the Black lives matter movement
Join DESTINEE ROSS-SUTTON (ROSS-SUTTON Gallery), RUDY SHEPHERD (Artist) EVERETTE TAYLOR (CMO, Artsy) and CLAUDE GRUNITZKY (Founder, True Africa) as they reflect on a year of art world practices following the protests against police brutality and broader racial inequalities in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. Are we witnessing change or statements unkept? Where there has been change, how is this materialising and set to change the future of the art world and beyond?
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THE BLACK FILE: Perspectives of the Contemporary Afro-Brazilian Art
Join IGI LOLA AYEDUN (Artist and Founder, HOA Galeria), CAROLLINA LAURIANO (Independent Curator and Co-curator, 13th Mercosul Biennial) and THIAGO DE PAULA SOUZA (Curator and Researcher) as they discuss the importance of contemporary Afro-Brazilian art to Black art scenes globally and how it’s full potential locally and globally can be reached through the art market and institutional frameworks.
Artist Talk with Timothy Washington
Join artist TIMOTHY WASHINGTON and curator KILOLO LUCKETT as they discuss Washington’s recent work and practice for his solo exhibition, INDUCTION & SUSPICION, currently on view at Duane Thomas Gallery. Alongside they will also be discussing Washington’s life and work in ‘60s and ‘70s Los Angeles as a central figure in the Black Arts Movement that comprised of artists such as Charles White, David Hammons, Betye Saar, Noah Purifoy, John Outterbridge, and Senga Nengudi, amongst others.