"When We See Us": Everyday Blackness with Okra Collective
Thursday, September 5, 6–9 p.m., Gegenwart, Costs: CHF 10/5, in English
Film screening and talk with the Okra Collective, including pop-up bar
The audiovisual production Everyday Blackness by Okra, a collective of Black multidisciplinary artists, is a mesmerizing combination of sounds, voices and polyrhythmic music. Inspired by the exhibition When We See Us, the video work was developed especially for the opening Saturday of the exhibition in Basel, and will be presented again on the extended Thursday evening at Kunstmuseum Basel | Gegenwart.
Based on a joint residency with Anti-Mass, a collective and label from Kampala/Uganda, Everyday Blackness is an attempt to bring conversations, sounds and images of everyday life of specifically black subjectivity into a form. Katie Omole and Glenn Akwasi, members of the collective, emphasize that the collaborative process was about consciously evading permanent attention and surveillance in public space: the new production is “coming from the point that we never have rest” and from the desire to "just exist". The images created for Everyday Blackness tell of collective experiences and Black subjectivity from an Afro-diasporic perspective, without being oriented towards fixed terms or conditions.
On September 5, Okra members Katie Omole, Anouchka Gwen, FONCÉ, Glenn Akwasi and Abdulmalik Abdi will host a collaborative evening where visitors are invited to immerse themselves in the artistic process and narratives of Everyday Blackness through conversation and insight. Including a screening of Everyday Blackness.
The exhibition When We See Us is open and freely accessible during the extended Thursday evenings at Kunstmuseum Basel | Gegenwart from 6 to 9 pm.
On the first Thursday evening of every month, Studio Gegenwart will host a screening of the exhibition When We See Us. One Hundred Years of Pan-African Figurative Painting, special musical, performative, discursive and participatory programs take place in the Studio Gegenwart. With local and international guests.
July
CURATOR'S TOUR
GEGENWART
18:30–19:30
Kuratorinnenführung in der Ausstellung «When We See Us. Hundert Jahre panafrikanische figurative Malerei»
FULLY BOOKED
In German. Mit der Kuratorin Anita Haldemann. Kosten: Eintritt + CHF 5.
WORKSHOP
STUDIO GEGENWART
15:00–16:30
Dialogue Session: The Functional Art Within Community. With Kwaku Dapaah Opoku
A dialogue session on the functionality of African Art derived from shared community practices. The interdisciplinary dialogue series aims to foster conversations that connect museum audiences with the diverse spectrum of Black and African diasporic perspectives in Swiss society. This series is curated by Keabetswe Boccomino (Afrinova). Limited number of participants. Costs: CHF 5.
WORKSHOP
STUDIO GEGENWART
11:00–17:00
Offenes Studio Gegenwart: Der Sommer zeichnet Geschichte.
Life by the river Together we will think about everyday life on the Rhine: the people, animals, plants, stones and everything else we encounter. What stories do the river and its banks tell us? What is the relationship between nature and culture around the Rhine? We will give form to our findings, reflections and impressions through paintings, drawings and frottages - outdoors if the weather is fine. Open to all. Participation free of charge.
GUIDED TOUR
GEGENWART
15:00–16:00
Visite guidée de l'exposition « When We See Us. Un siècle de peinture figurative panafricaine ».
In French. Coût : entrée + CHF 5.
August
GUIDED TOUR
GEGENWART
15:00–16:00
Führung in der Ausstellung «When We See Us. Hundert Jahre panafrikanische figurative Malerei»
In German. Kosten: Eintritt + CHF 5.
GUIDED TOUR
GEGENWART
15:00–16:00
Guided tour of the exhibition «When We See Us. A Century of Black Figuration in Painting»
Costs: Admission + CHF 5.
STUDIO GEGENWART
15:00–17:00
A Light Lyricism. Reading Group and Literary Companion to «When We See Us»
With Sindi-Leigh McBride (researcher and writer) and guests
In six public reading group sessions, we work through a selection of texts by James Baldwin, Ken Bugul, Teju Cole, Akwaeke Emezi, Bernardine Evaristo, Andrea Lee, Maaza Men, Kwame McPherson, Johny Pitts, Koleka Putuma, Zadie Smith, and Brandon Taylor. All texts will be made available to participants in advance. Age: From 16 years. Participation free of charge, registration required via ticket link.
GUIDED TOUR
GEGENWART
15:00–16:00
Führung in der Ausstellung «When We See Us. Hundert Jahre panafrikanische figurative Malerei»
In German. Kosten: Eintritt + CHF 5.
CONVERSATION
STUDIO GEGENWART
12:30–14:30
Serving Questions
FULLY BOOKED!
Discursive menu and installation by the Hybrid Project Space collective and chef Olivier Bur. At this special lunch, questions will be served that encourage reflection on the exhibition, its themes and the institutional context. Chef Olivier Bur will complement the discussion with food. Hybrid Project Space together with co-hosts Ann Mbuti and Mona-Lisa Kole invite you to have a seat and share your thoughts. E Guete! Participation free of charge, Ticket via ticket link. Limited number of participants.
CONVERSATION
STUDIO GEGENWART
14:30–18:00
Serving Questions
Installation open at Studio Gegenwart. Hybrid Project Space is a collective of people from the fields of museum studies, curation, media production, art, architecture and graphic design. The collective engages in discussions with the public on how art and cultural spaces can become more inclusive and diverse. The afternoon session is introduced by a music performance by Tracy September. Participation free of charge, no registration required.
