Category: Exhibitions

3 New Autumn Updates
Hello Happy People!

I am back to my weekly blogging schedule!

If you are new here, every month with 30 Days (you know, April, June, September and November), I share a daily photo on my blog. This tends to be new or old work that I haven’t share before (to my very unreliable knowledge, at least). Last month’s edition proved to be a very tough one. I really did not enjoy working on it, but I came out of it with the following lessons:
1. Never give.
2. Keep creating
3. Don’t overthink it.
4. Experiment.
5. And if all else fails, it is ok to let it go.
And with that said, here are my 3 updates of things that happened whilst I was doing the #30DayPhotoProject.

Update #1 – Exhibitions

This year alone has seen two of my photographs exhibited in Berlin and New York. I honestly did not anticipate this to happen as when I submitted the images, the last thing I was expecting is for them to be shown in a physical space outside of the U.K., where I reside.

In Berlin, I exhibited this image as part of a video installation by The Journal Collective for their ABOUT LAST YEAR – LOCKDOWN PHOTOGRAPHY at Willy-Brandt-Haus. I have to be grateful to Ana Nsue to whom I was connected to by Ben Roberts, for visiting the space and documenting my work in the space.

This exhibition ended on the 19th of September 2021.

©Ana Nsue

In New York, the founder of the Black Women Photographers, Polly Irungu, curated this exhibition on ‘Self Preservation’ to be showcased at the 10th anniversary for the Photoville Festival.

A photograph that I took earlier this year was picked to be part of the first ever physical group exhibition for BWP. As I am unable to travel, I am super grateful to Michal Petros for documenting my work at the festival.

This exhibition is ending on the 1st of December 2021. So if you are in New York, please do go and see it, take photos and tag me on Twitter and Instagram.

©Michal Petros

Update #2 – Guest Editor

Earlier this year, I was asked by Shaun, founder of the The Black Gaze, if I would like to be a guest editor for their monthly newsletter. I have to admit that I almost refused to take this on as I was nervous and didn’t know what to do or expect.

And I guess this is the self-doubt creeping in and making me think I cannot do it.

Anyway, I summed up the courage and did it anyway and took this an opportunity to amplify a few photographers from Kenya whose work I admire in the ‘Discover’ section of the newsletter.

I am so grateful that Shaun and The Black Gaze gave me the space to engage with their audience.

You can read the newsletter that I edited here.

I would also highly recommend signing up the newsletter and if you are or know a Black photographer, why not reach out to them or answer their Q&A.

Update #3 – Online Festival

This month will see me and 16 other creatives showcase our work in an online festival curated and presented by Chin We.

This will be an annual Black women’s arts festival celebrating the beauty of Black culture, identity and heritage. “Ife Nkili” is a phrase from the Igbo tribe in Nigeria which means “Beauty to Behold” supported and funded by Arts Council England.

~~The festival will premiere LIVE on YouTube on the 14th of October 2021.~~

UPDATED 14/10/2021: This festival has now ended.
And there you have it. The 3 Autumn Updates that I really wanted to share with you as I am now back to my weekly blogging schedule. And yes, the EK13 / 30 Day Photo Project will be back in November and it might just be another collaboration. Stay tuned!

See you next week! ✌🏾

If you have reached here, thank you for reading my blog post.

Drinking loads of tea/coffee makes it happen and your support is always welcome.
October 8, 2021
Exhibition: Zanele Muholi
Zanele Muholi at Tate Modern

If it wasn’t for a friend reminding me of this exhibition, I would have missed seeing it completely. I am so glad that I did manage to catch it before it ended.

Most exhibitions that were ending around March/April were extended to the end of May and this is how I managed to see Zanele Muholi’s at Tate Modern. Tickets were selling pretty fast, but I was lucky to get one at a time I could go when the kids were in school and still have enough time to commute back home to pick them up.

Muholi’s exhibition was HUGE. There was so many things to see – prints, publications and videos. This exhibition was a collection of various projects they have worked on over the years as a visual activist and they still continue to document the LGBTQIA+ community in South Africa.

I spent just over 2hrs in the space with most of it watching the videos. The longest one being Sharing Stories, where eight participants of this video shared their stories about their lives and experiences living in South Africa as part of the LGBTQUIA+ community.

I did a vlog of my visit to this exhibition, but it is not the same as being there. The video and photographs shared here is just a glimpse of what was showcased and it is one of those exhibitions that is a must see in person.

CW: The exhibition contained themes of sexual discrimination, hate crimes and racism. Sexual images were also present, but I tried as much as possible not to include them in my video and photographs due to their sensitive nature.
The exhibition was on from 5 November 2020 – 31 May 2021.

If you have reached here, thank you for reading my blog post.

Drinking loads of tea/coffee makes it happen and your support is always welcome.
August 21, 2021
Exhibition: Sunil Gupta -From Here to Eternity

The Sunil Gupta Retrospective at The Photographers’ Gallery.

CW: Nudity

The galleries in England are now open and I really missed being in those space. Just wondering around looking at artwork and engaging my creative senses with other people’s ideas is something that I enjoy doing.

I was glad that I got a chance to see Sunil Gupta’s Retrospective From Here to Eternity at The Photographers’ Gallery before it ended. I vlogged my experience and even took a few photos of the exhibition.

I also got to see Evgenia Arbugaeva: Hyperborea – Stories from the Russian Arctic exhibition on the same day.

If you are reading this before the 31st of May and are in London, please go and see both exhibitions. I highly recommend it.
Tickets are £5 for adults / £2.50 concessions. Members & under 18s go free.

The exhibition has now ended.

If you have reached here, thank you for reading my blog post.

Drinking loads of tea/coffee makes it happen and your support is always welcome.

May 28, 2021
First Photo Challenge of 2020
This year, I said I should blog more, but with that comes the challenge of what to blog about. I also decided to cut down on my social media consumption/use so I can have more time to be able to do so. However, I still cannot resist the urge to check out Instagram and I come across some pretty awesome stuff, one of which has inspired this blog post.

The Biennale für aktuelle Fotografie 2020 “The Lives and Loves of Images” – an extensive photography exhibition curated by David Campany is happening from the 29 February – 26 April across three cities in Germany – Mannheim, Ludwigshafen and Heidelberg. There will be works from over 70 artists showcased in six museums, with talks, discussions and workshops events during this time. On their Instagram feed, they have been introducing participating artists by asking them to give ‘instructions’ to their followers. You take a picture with said instructions, you upload it on Instagram using the hashtag #biennale_instructions and your photograph will be posted on their feed.

Here are some of the artists (exhibition name) and their ‘instructions’ that have been shared so far:
- Peter Puklus (When Images Collide) – Create your own, personal universe. You are the Sun.
- Jessica Potter (Walker Evans Revisited) – Take a photograph of a gesture.
  Take a photograph of someone walking away.
- Patrick Pound (Walker Evans Revisited) – As a record, the photograph is always a trace of something.
  Try taking photographs that are records of traces (from shadows to stains and remnants).
- Joshua Murfitt (All Art if Photography) – Make a photo where a subject is obscured.
- Sara Greenberger Rafferty (When Images Collide) – Make a picture without a camera (or phone) and do not post it.
- Antonio Peréz Río (All Art is Photography) – Take pictures of screens. More concretely, take pictures of pictures on the screens. Pictures that people are taking or pictures that you took. Focus on what happens on the screens and its formal and content connections with the world around. Focus on the foreground but don’t forget the background. Make a single photograph or a whole story with a sequence of pictures.
- Thomas Wunsch (Between Art and Commerce) – Find a photographic theme with care and passion. Then take a look at how other photographers have treated this topic in the past. Think about how you can edit this topic. Find a niche. Be different. Make it interesting. Attract attention. And don’t hold back. It’s your chance to tell the world something.
So, where do I come in? Well, I thought I should challenge myself and pretend for just one minute that I was posting on my Instagram feed. Why not take one of these instructions and share my own photograph using the hashtag #biennale_instructions and instead of posting it on my IG feed, I post it here?

I decided to follow Patrick Pound’s instructions –
- As a record, the photograph is always a trace of something.
  Try taking photographs that are records of traces (from shadows to stains and remnants).
This one resonated with me as I am currently working on a ‘Remnants’ series of photographs. Here I am sharing a photograph I haven’t posted on my blog before following said instructions.

Reflections of Syzygy in The Blue Room, 2019

If you were to follow any of the instructions, which one would you pick? Or, why not attempt this challenge with me? Link back to my blog so I can see which instructions you followed.

#PhotoChallenge

#RemnantsProject

#Biennale_Instructions
January 31, 2020
Exhibition: 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair

‘The Fortress, 2014’ by Kiluanji Kia Henda (Angola) – 1-54 Courtyard Sculpture Commission

‘The Purple Shall Govern, 2019’ by Mary Sibande (South Africa) as part of her solo exhibition I Came Apart at the Seams

‘Turn, turn, turn, 2019’ by Mary Sibande (South Africa) as part of her solo exhibition I Came Apart at the Seams

‘History Papers, 2019’ by Adeunmi Gbadebo (USA)

Detail of ‘History Papers, 2019’ by Adeunmi Gbadebo (USA) – a mix of cotton, indigo dye and human hair.

Close-up detail of ‘History Papers, 2019’ by Adeunmi Gbadebo (USA) – a mix of cotton, indigo dye and human hair.

Quilted portraits of African-Americans by Bisa Butler (USA)

‘Macho Nne: The Honeycomb, 2019’ by Cyrus Kabiru (Kenya)

‘It’s My Time & There Has To Be Another Way, 2019’ by Evans Mwangi (Kenya)

From the series Interwoven by Kyle Meyer (USA)

Circle Art Gallery from Kenya

‘Failed Coup, 2019’ by Shabu Mwangi (Kenya)

Art on the wall ‘Dexu Adüna, 2019’ is by Alexis Peskine (France) and the bike installation ‘MBK100, 2018’ is by Romuald Hazoumè (Benin)

‘Carriage Clock, 2019’ by Yinka Shonibare, CBE (UK)

‘The American Library Collections (Philanthropists), 2019’ by Yinka Shonibare, CBE (UK)

‘Tightrope: Noiseless 14, 2019’ by Elias Sime (Ethiopia)

Detail of ‘Tightrope: Noiseless 14, 2019’ by Elias Sime (Ethiopia)

I saw Noma’s bag by Kenyan artist Michael Soi and I just had to take a picture.

Photographs in lightboxes by Michel Papami Kameni (Cameroon)

‘Untitled (boxes), 2018’ by Gareth Nyandoro (Zimbabwe)

Detail of inside ‘Untitled (boxes), 2018’ by Gareth Nyandoro (Zimbabwe)

Detail of inside ‘Untitled (boxes), 2018’ by Gareth Nyandoro (Zimbabwe)

‘Speed Demon 1, 2, 3 & 4, 2019’ by Boris Nzebo (Gabon)

On the wall is ‘Fatherhood’ by Prince Gyasi (Ghana) and the sculptures are by Alimi Adewale (Nigeria)

This is me checking out Mxolisi Dolla Sapeta (South Africa) artist’s studio in South Africa using Virtual Reality (VR)

‘Golden Horde 5, 2006’ by Hew Locke (Scotland)

Close-up detail of ‘Golden Horde 5, 2006’ by Hew Locke (Scotland)

‘L’écume de la mer, 2019’ by Louisa Marajo

Detail of ‘L’écume de la mer, 2019’ by Louisa Marajo (Martinique)

A sculpture by Jake Michael Singer (South Africa)

Photographs from the exhibition Water Life by Aïda Muluneh (Ethiopia)

Pop-up exhibition storefront for Jamm Rek: Quotidien Senegal a photography exhibition by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn (USA)

Signage of the pop-up exhibition for Jamm Rek: Quotidien Senegal a photography exhibition by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn (USA)

‘Marche HLM, 2013’ as part of Jamm Rek: Quotidien Senegal a photography exhibition by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn (USA)

Top ‘Les Femme Paying Respect to Mame Diarra Bousso, 2015’ and bottom ‘Baye Fall Alamadies, 2014’ as part of Jamm Rek: Quotidien Senegal a photography exhibition by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn (USA)

‘Sokhna Khady Ba, 2014’ as part of Jamm Rek: Quotidien Senegal a photography exhibition by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn (USA)

Curator of Jamm Rek: Quotidien Senegal a photography exhibition by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn (USA), Atim Annette Oton, speaking to my friend Wasi

Somerset House Seaman’s Hall at dusk

‘Baga Nimba (Gold), 2019’ by Niyi Olagunju (Nigeria)

‘Green button Qarboush, 2019’ by Qarm Qart (Egypt)

Triptych of ‘The Urban Mask, 2019’ by Kagiso Patrick Mautloa (South Africa)

Guests mingling

With Aude Konan a writer and filmmaker from Ivory Coast

With legendary photographers Joy Gregory (UK) and Sunil Gupta (India)

With Arlene Wandera a sculptor from Kenya.

With artists Celine_A (France) and Evans Mbugua (Kenya)

Somerset House courtyard at night

It was an early start for me as I RSVP’d to be at the Press Preview breakfast and launch of the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair. The previous day it was raining heavily on and off and I was hoping that the weather would stay nice and calm. Luckily the sun came out to play and the morning air was crisp, but it was cold. And it is Black History Month!

This is the seventh edition of the fair which is held at Somerset House with 45 galleries from Europe, Africa, the Middle East and North America showcasing contemporary African art from all over the world with 15 of those galleries showcasing for the first time.

This year, the 1-54 Courtyard Sculpture Commission is The Fortress by Angolan artist Kiluanji Kia Henda and for South African Mary Sibande, a first major solo UK exhibition of her photographic and sculptural works I Came Apart at the Seams which will continue on after the fair has ended until 5th January 2020. Another solo exhibition that will continue on after the fair until 20th October is an Afrofuturist tableaux Water Life by Ethiopian photographer and artist, Aïda Muluneh with a further nine solo exhibitions by various artists being displayed during the fair.

For me, this year 1-54 was an amazing experience as it was a long day of looking at artwork, networking and taking pictures. I even managed to squeeze in a visit to a pop-up hosted by Mak Gallery of a photography exhibition Jamm Rek: Quotidien Senegal by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn which ends on the same day on Sunday 6th October as 1-54. So, if you are in the area, please go and check it out. The address is 62 Church Street, London, NW8 8ET – nearest station is Edgware Road.

I went back to Somerset House for the evening event of drinks and more networking then I decided to call it a night.

Please give yourself plenty of time to walk through the fair’s space if you do decide to go, as there is so much to see judging from the ‘few’ photographs I have shared. And there are also screenings and talks happening as well, which are free to ticket holders, but you will need to book as spaces can be limited.

~~If you are reading this before the 06th of October and are in London, please go and see it. I highly recommend it.~~
~~Tickets are £25.00 for Day Ticket/ £10.00 concessions. Children under 12 go free. Friday is FREE for students with student ID.~~

The exhibition has ended.

#ContemporaryAfricanArt

October 4, 2019

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