Emeka Udemba
A group of artists who participated in a Mobile Museum project that covered nearly 10,000 kilometers by bus – from Nigeria to Senegal to participate in the ongoing Dak Art Biennial – last week shared their experiences at the Goethe-Institut in Accra.
Curated by the Nigerian-German artist Emeka Udemba, the journey began in Nigeria and moved through Benin, Togo, Ghana, La Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Mali before arriving in the Senegalese capital Dakar for the biennial.
Dubbed ‘Stretched Terrains’, it is mobile artist residency project inside a bus, which has been transformed into a rolling art space.
Throughout the journey, the artists examined diverse public spaces as communication zones of social and political interaction as they travelled through forests and deserts of West Africa.
Briefing a group of artists and art lovers, Udemba said traditional concepts of museums and public spaces do not necessarily work in most African countries the way they should, adding that everyone needs culture and not only people with access to museums. Udemba, Dame Diongue (Senegal), Soulayman Konate (La Côte d’Ivoire), Ray-Claver Agbo (Ghana), Monsuro Alashe (Nigeria) and Gabriel Goller (Germany) narrated the challenges, frustrations, experiences and more importantly inspirations that will guide their work in the near and distant future.
Challenges at border crossings, harassment by police, corruption, lush forests, plantations, deserts, baobab trees, interactions with inhabitants of remote villages during bus breakdowns, among others, will serve as a point for future work by the artists.
During the long drive, the artists equally experimented on ideas and areas they will normally not touch on when working in their studios, unearthed hidden talents and abilities while developing concepts for individual and collaborative work through memorable experiences.
On arrival in the Senegalese capital Dakar, the artists participated in the ongoing biennial, interacted with artists and finalised works created on the road for an exhibition / presentations at the Goethe-Institut in Dakar.
Titled ‘The Red Hour’ and curated by the Cameroonian writer/art critic Simon Njami, the expansive range of artworks that have inundated the city of Dakar is a clear indication of the multiplicity, complexity and universality of works that are being produced in Africa and the diaspora.
Supported by Lufthansa and Brussels Airlines Africa, Stretched Terrains was organised by Goethe-Institut Nigeria in co-operation with the Goethe-Institutes in Ghana, Togo, La Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and the German-Malian Cultural Centre in Bamako.
By John Owoo