Saturday, 24 January 2015

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS:10TH BAMAKO ENCOUNTERS:AFRICAN BIENNALE OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Bamako Encounters 2015
Organised by the Malian Ministry of Culture and Institut français, the Bamako Encounters is the first and principal international platform dedicated to African photography on the continent. A veritable platform for discovery, exchanges and interaction, the Bamako Encounters are known as a meeting place for African photographers and other art professionals from across the world. It will take place in Bamako, from 31st October to 31st December 2015.
The Executive Director of the Bamako Encounters is Samuel Sidibe, Director of the National Museum of Mali, who has been directing it since 2009.
The Artistic Director of the 10th Bamako Encounters is Bisi Silva, an independent curator and the Director, Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA, Lagos).
The Pan-African Exhibition, resulting from a call for applications and the selection of artists representing all of the African continent and its Diaspora, is part of the Biennial’s central presentation. In 2015 the title is « TELLING TIME » 
The call for applications to the Pan-African Exhibition of the 10th edition of the Bamako Encounters is open for African photographers and video artists from 15th January to 30th March 2015. 

Wednesday, 21 January 2015

Owambe at A Whitespace Lagos

Big 60 International Video Art Festival Lagos 2014/2015

A Whitespace,
58 Raymond Njoku
SW Ikoyi
Lagos

January 22nd 7pm

The second annual festival hosted in collaboration with A Whitespace continues with work by Nigerian and Indonesian artists, with films being made available by OK Video. The screening will feature 10 years of Indonesian film alongside a curated exhibition of Nigerian videos entitled ‘Owambe’ also featuring an installation from visual artist Odun Orimolade. The screening is supported by the Biritish Council

Owambe
The gathering of people in celebration is an important part of the Nigerian culture. The milestones of life are marked through community gatherings, music and dance, with the ‘Owambe’ being a classic example of this. Owambe translates as "He/She was there", a colloquial expression for a party where the who-is-who in the Nigerian society are in attendance. Visual cues tell of ties to a celebrant through fabric materials that provide uniformity and a sense of belonging. The entire scene is illuminated by shimmering headpieces (gele) and brilliantly coloured costumes (aso ebi), all creatively embroidered and worn with accustomed grace. Reciprocity is practiced in that giving flows in all directions, from the celebrant to the families and the guest; there exists a commonality in the dispersal of gifts.

The Video Art Network Lagos collaborated with invited Nigerian video artists to explore/interpret Owambe, and how Nigerian communities and cultures contribute to the wider cultural discourse of the global community.


Participants:
- Oyinda Fakeye
- Jude Anogwih
- Emeka Ogboh
- Uche Okpa Iroha
- Wura Natasha Ogunji
- Buki Bodunrin

Installation:
- Odun Orimolade


Monday, 12 January 2015

Big 60 & International Video Art Festival, Lagos 2014/2015


A Whitespace,
58 Raymond Njoku
SW Ikoyi
Lagos
January 22nd 7pm

In 2014, VAN Lagos was invited as one of the art organizations at the International Artists Initiated (IAI) project, presented by the David Dale Gallery and Studios as part of The Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme. This took place alongside the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow Scotland.

This is a video installation that simulates an Owambe ambience. Owambe translates as "He/She was there", a colloquial expression for a party where the who-is-who in the Nigerian society are in attendance. Visual cues tell of ties to a celebrant through fabric materials that provide uniformity and a sense of belonging. The entire scene is illuminated by shimmering headpieces (gele) and brilliantly coloured costumes (aso ebi), all creatively embroidered and worn with accustomed grace. Reciprocity is practiced in that giving flows in all directions, from the celebrant to the families and the guest; there exists a commonality in the dispersal of gifts.

As part of this expanded screening and in partnership with A Whitespace the Video Art Network Lagos is pleased to host the International Video Art Festival Lagos running from the 18th December 2014 - 15th January 2015.

 Participating artists include, Jude Anogwih, Buki Bodunrin, Oyinda Fakeye, Emeka Ogboh, Wura-Natasha Ogunji and Uche Okpa Iroha.

These artists explore/interpret Owambe, and how Nigerian communities and cultures contribute to the wider cultural discourse of the global community.
Our guest country in this edition is Indonesia with films generously made available by OK Video. This screening features 10 years of video art in Indonesian.
The programme is being organised and curated by the Video Art Network, Lagos and OK Video , Indonesia with the support of the British Council.

About the Organisation:
The Video Art Network Lagos (VAN Lagos) is a Lagos based New Media art organization, established by the collaborative efforts of artists Emeka Ogboh, Jude Anogwih and cultural producer Oyindamola Fakeye. The organizations objectives are to develop educational and public programmes that promote and create new media art awareness in Nigeria. This is realized through curated screenings and exhibitions of both established and emerging New Media artists.

 For more information: www.vanlagos.org 

OK Video is one of the division of Ruangrupa, a contemporary art organization founded in 2000 by a group of artists in Jakarta which encourages the progress of the idea of art in the urban context and the broad scope of culture through exhibitions, festivals, art laboratories, workshops, research, and the publication of books, magazines, and journals.
In addition to organizing the biennial video festival OK. Video – Jakarta International Video Festival, the division also conducts workshops, production, collection, documentation, and distribution of video art in Indonesia.

For more information: http://okvideofestival.org 

Monday, 8 December 2014

TRANSOCEANIC VISUAL EXCHANGE (TVE) OPEN CALL



TVE is making an open call in search of recent artist's film and video to be included in an exchange between Fresh Milk (Barbados), RM, (Auckland) and VAN, Lagos (Nigeria).

Fresh Milk, RM and VAN Lagos, are pleased to welcome submissions of recent film and video works – screenings, installations and expanded cinema – by contemporary artists, to be included in programmes for exchange between Barbados, Auckland and Lagos. Submitted works must have been completed in the last five years and must be made by artists practicing in the Caribbean, Africa or Polynesia.

The foundation of this transoceanic visual exchange (TVE) will be a collection of recent artist’s film and video from each region. However, the final shape and content of the programme will be informed by an open workshop process, which aims to involve and promote discussion within the wider arts communities of each arts initiative.

Working between the Caribbean, Africa and Polynesia, TVE aims to negotiate the in-between space of our cultural communities outside of traditional geo-political zones of encounter and trade. Fresh Milk, VAN Lagos and RM first met as participants in IAI (International Artists Initiated), a programme organized and facilitated by David Dale Gallery, Glasgow, in July 2014. TVE intends to build upon relations established during this initial encounter and open up greater pathways of visibility, discourse and knowledge production between the artist run initiatives and their communities.

Submissions:
Must be work from artists practicing in the Caribbean, Africa or Polynesia.
Must be works that have been completed/made in the last five years.
Can be films of any length (shorts, experimental, features and video artworks)
Can be in any language (films originally produced in regional languages are welcome) with English subtitles.
Multiple submissions are welcome
Must be accompanied by a description of the work (500 words max), a bio (200 words max) and detail of any technical requirements i.e. audio, installation, equipment required, preferred setting etc.
Works must be in the form of mp4 files no larger than 10MB, or private vimeo / youtube links

Deadlines for Submission: 16th February 2015
The exchange will occur in June 2015
Please send submissions and enquiries to the region in which you are practicing:
Caribbean: freshmilkbarbados@gmail.com
Polynesia: taarati@rm103.org
Africa: info@vanlagos.org / vanlagos.org@gmail.com

About the Spaces
The Fresh Milk Art Platform Inc. is a Caribbean non-profit, artist-led, inter-disciplinary organization that supports creatives and promotes wise social, economic, and environmental stewardship through creative engagement with society and by cultivating excellence in the arts. Fresh Milk bridges the divides between creative disciplines, generations of creatives, and all linguistic territories in the region. It functions as a cultural lab, fostering critical, creative practices through local, regional and international programming. The platform transforms into a gathering space for contemporary creatives who are thirsty to debate ideas and share works through residencies, lectures, screenings, workshops, exhibitions, projects etc.

The Video Art Network, Lagos (VAN, Lagos) is a Lagos based New Media art organization, established by the collaborative efforts of artists Emeka Ogboh, Jude Anogwih and cultural producer Oyindamola Fakeye. The organizations objectives are to develop educational and public programmes that promote and create new media art awareness in Nigeria. This is realized through curated screenings and exhibitions of both established and emerging New Media artists.

RM is an artist-run space, project office and (gradually developing) archive. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, RM is a gallery that places the work of local emerging artists alongside more seasoned practitioners. RM seeks to engage with the practices, discourses and modes of presentation that aren’t well-supported or easily accessible in Auckland. Though we might look like a white cube, we are more interested in the potentials of an empty room – a space to gather, to think, to talk, to make, to share… Established in 1997, RM is the country’s longest running artist-run-space. The co-directors are Eleanor Cooper, Melanie Kung, Ziggy Lever, Fleur Sandbrook, Taarati Taiaroa, and co-founder Nick Spratt. Previous incarnations of the rm project have included rm3, rm212, rm401 and rm103.



Tuesday, 18 November 2014

Boda Boda Lounge Project at the Omenka Gallery 21st-23rd November


VAN Lagos, is pleased to present BODA- BODA LOUNGE PROJECT, a pan African video art festival in LAGOS. The Boda-Boda Lounge Project is a cross-continental video festival that is featured in over 15 spaces throughout Africa. The Boda-Boda Lounge Project is a collaborative project between VANSA (South Africa), Picha (Congo DRC) and VAN Lagos (Nigeria).

Film screenings would be accompanied by a public conversation and a special tribute to renowned late video artist Goddy Leye.


21- 23 November 2014
BC garden Café, Omenka Gallery
24 Ikoyi Crescent
Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria

Programme outline

FRIDAY 21 NOVEMBER:
Video Screening/Public conversation
05:30-08:00pm 


SATURDAY 22 NOVEMBER
Video Screening/ Tribute to artist and intellectual Goddy Leye
05:30-08:00pm


SUNDAY 23 NOVEMBER
Video Screening/Public conversation
05:30-08:00pm

VAN Lagos screening of the Boda Boda project is proudly supported by CCA Lagos, Omenka Gallery and the Goethe-Institut, Lagos, Nigeria.


Wednesday, 12 November 2014

Unbound Studio presents a three day screening event and workshop at Kala Bhavan, Visva Bharati University, Shantiniketan from 14th - 16th November, 2014


Memory is a strange paradox. It will never be the same again if much is added to or taken away from it.

Fond recollections of an unrestrictive space and involvement with the community within Shantiniketan, was unsettled by beholding the barbed wires that demarcates the private space from the public sphere, on my next visit some years later. 

How does one confront the memory he cherishes most that has transformed into something else? There is bound to be alterations in its nature, after a lapse of time. Memory is one of the most important ways by which our histories animate our current actions and experiences.

Then again, there is also the changing nature of memories. The memories of those who inhabit the space for a certain period of time are not the same as of those who have witnessed such changes over many years. Neither is it similar to those of the infrequent visitor.

In this third edition, Unbound Studio in collaboration with Center for Interdisciplinary Arts, Kala Bhavana, Visva Bharati University reviews the idea of memory, in context to changing dynamics of Shanitiniketan as a space, through a video workshop with students of Kala Bhavan from the 14th -16th of November, 2014.

Unbound Studio, in association with VAN, Lagos, Nigeria and Where Dreams Cross, Sweden is glad to present the screening of the video programs – 

CONTINUUM... by Unbound Studio, India
MOTION | TIME | SPACE II by VAN, Lagos, Nigeria
SACRED SPACE by Where Dreams Cross, Sweden

Also featuring FRAGMENTS by Doplegenger, Serbia during this time.
Participating Artists: 
Aditi Kulkarni _ Amol Patil _ Anna Linder _ Baptist Coelho _ Chinmoyi Patel _ Christina Gangos _Daniel Steegmann Mangrané _ Debora Elgeholm _ Emeka Ogboh _ Ima Abasi-Okon _ Jude Anogwih _Lucy Azubuike _ Monali Meher _ Paramita Das _ Prabhakar Pachpute _ Sabrina Osborne _Uchay Joel Chima _ Uma Ray _ Vaibhav Shah _ Wura-Natasha Ogunji 

Visit us at:

Friday, 17 October 2014

Legend: The Teller and the Told


Venue: Centre for Contemporary Art Lagos
9 McEwen, Street, Yaba, Lagos
Date: Oct14th‐18th 2014
Time: 12–6pm daily

The music, politics and ideologies of Afrobeat music pioneer and human rights activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti, would influence Nigeria and the World long after his death in 1997. As part of the 2014 Felabration celebration, The Video Art Network Lagos (VAN Lagos) will be screening five films documenting his life and impact including previously unreleased footage.

Wahala Dey