CAUSALITY AND DILEMMAS
Apr 01 - Apr 30 2015
As part of its programming in 2014, Raw Material Company continues its focus on Personal Liberties looking at freedom of expression, sexuality and homophobia in Africa. The cycle is divided into several acts through various programs including exhibitions, seminars, screenings, residencies and a final act that will be phase consists of a publication scheduled for late 2015.
Act 1 : Who Said it Was Simple curated by Raw Material Company’s assistant curator Eva Barois De Caevel consisted of a research based exhibition showing the findings of the chronology of the media radicalisation towards issues of sexual difference over a period covering ten years from 2003 to 2013.
Act 2 : Precarious Imaging, visibility surrounding African Queerness curated by Koyo Kouoh and Ato Malinda consisted of a seminar and a photography and video exhibition including works by Kader Attia, Jim Chuchu, Andrew Esiebo, Amanda Kerdahi M and Zanehle Muholi.
Act 3: Causality and Dilemmas, a chronology of human feelings and desires is curated by Gabi Ngcobo, South African independent curator based in Johannesburg.
This act is a metaphysical studio and a creative research laboratory whose outcome will be a spiritual map of human feelings and desires in Africa as a focal point with Senegal. The research participants are members of the artistic and intellectual community of Dakar, fashion designers, social scientists, architects and human rights activists. A carefully selected group of international participants contribute via mail-art, social media and other online channels, including skype and google hangouts.
The result of this creative research will be presented at Raw Material Company in spring 2015 as research material with the main points of continuity on the topics of feelings and desires in general. The research is conducted through interviews, images, writings, sounds, books, music and objects. The interest of this research project are the creative aspects of exploration of what happens when we dive in the futility of identifying the first case of a circular cause and consequence. Participants explore the gifts and privations of Africa and Senegal in particular through history with an eye to alternative sexualities through time immemorial.
Gabi Ngcobo is an artist, independent curator and educator based in Johannesburg. Ngcobo has collaboratively and independently conceptualised projects in South Africa and internationally. In 2011 she curated “DON'T/PANIC,” an exhibition that coincided with the 17th UN Global Summit on Climate Change (COP17) in Durban. She is the first POOL Curatorial Fellow, and her exhibition some a little sooner, some a little later was held at the Zurich POOL/LUMA Westbau space from June-September 2013.
As co-founder of the Center for Historical Reenactments (CHR), a project based in Johannesburg, Ngcobo curated “PASS-AGES: references & footnotes” at the old Pass Office in Johannesburg and contributed to a two-year long project “Xenoglossia, a research project,” culminating in two projects; “After-after Tears” in New York and “Xenoglossia, the exhibition” in Johannesburg, 2013. Ngcobo is faculty member at the Wits School of Arts, Fine Arts Division in Johannesburg.