Newsletter [

N8 JanuaryApril 2010

Become a friend! Become a Supporter! Become a part

Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos (CCA,Lagos) is an independent non-profit making visual art organisation set up in December 2007 to provide a platform for the development, presentation, and discussion of contemporary visual art and culture. It seeks to create new audiences and to prioritise media such as photography, animation, film and video, and performance art which have been under-represented in Nigeria. CCA,Lagos supports the intellectual and critical development of different art and culture practitioners through talks, seminars, workshops and exhibitions. In addition it encourages and promotes the professionalisation of production and curatorship in Nigeria and West Africa collaborating with artists, curators, writers, theorists and national and international organisations.

of our world!

Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos 9 McEwen Street, Sabo, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria. T:+234 702 836 7106 E: info@ccalagos.org W: www.ccalagos.org

Look Inside > > International Art Photography Residency Programme > Old News #5 and #6 > Artist Focus: Video and Sound Artist Emeka Ogboh > On The Studio Visit by Gabi Ngcobo > Book Review: Contemporary African Art Since 1980 > Rencontres: Reviews of the 8th Bamako Photography Biennial > Past and Upcoming Exhibitions > An African View of Art by Ben Enwonwu > City Focus: Accra, Ghana > and more

Editors: Bisi Silva & Antawan I. Byrd / Contributing Editors: Jude Anogwih and Oyinda Fakeye / Contributors: Ben Enwonwu (1917 1994) - Jacob Fabricius - Jens Haaning Hansi Loren Momodou - Kenneth Montague - Gabi Ngcobo - Gozi Ochonogo - Abraham Oghobase - Sylvester Ogbechie - Richardson Ovbiebo - Petra Szilagyi. Design: Fabrice Lecouffe - witgraphicdesign.blogspot.com / Cover Image: Paul Sika. (Untitled #1) GloGlo Gospel series, 2007 - Courtesy the Artist. Edition: 2000 / Dedicated to the memory of Charles Onwordi and Lamide Fakeye. CCA,Lagos is published three times a year by Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos - 9 McEwen Street, Sabo, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria / Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos Please direct comments and inquires to info@ccalagos.org or call +234 0702 2836 7106 Board of Trustees: El Anatsui - Joke Jacobs - Valerie Edozien-Nwogbe Kehinde Oyeleke - Bisi Silva, Director. We gratefully acknowledge the support of AECID through the Spanish Embassy in Nigeria.

Contents
Newsletter [
N8 JanuaryApril 2010

p1/ Welcome International Art Photography Residency Programme p2/ Forthcoming Programmes - 3rd Johannesburg Art Fair - Pinar Yolacan

Past Programmes p3/ In Memoriam Professional Development (1) Professional Development (2) p4/ Artist Focus: Emeka Ogboh p5/ Two Re-Views

On the Studio Visit Gabi Ngcobo p6/ Old News #5 / Old News #6 p7/ Portfolio@CCA,Lagos Thinking Out Loud p8/ Wedge Curatorial Projects Beyond Lagos

City Focus: p9/ Accra Art, Fashion & Identity Book Review: Contemporary African Art Since 1980 p10/ Food For Thought: An African View of Art

Storehouse of Infinity p11/ The Library CCA,Lagos announce Images from the Archives p12/ 18 Books We Love!

Welcome

Welcome to our first issue for the new decade. As we wish you a Happy New Year, we do it in the spirit of owambe. A few years ago Nigerians were ranked as the happiest people on earth. I can only attribute that to our fondness of, and our reputation for, attending at the end of the week the numerous owambes (parties) of which weddings are the biggest, most glamorous and at times the most excessive. However, owambe goes beyond just fun to also act as a metaphor for having overcome hurdles and obstacles in what is at times a challenging environment. In that regard, owambe translates as it is all there in Yoruba the food, the drinks, the people, live bands but more than anything else it symbolises the way in which humanity can bond and endure to being there.
CCA,Lagos starts 2010 with a spirit of reflection and optimism during a landmark year for the African continent. Our yearlong project, under the umbrella title of On Independence and the Ambivalence of Promise, challenges us to reflect on the past fifty years of postcolonial rule. In so doing, we attempt to chart the possibilities for the next fifty years for a country and a continent that has experienced a myriad of upheavals but also achieved great strides. Part of moving forward is understanding our culture, our history and articulating our aspirations. We hope to do this through the sub-theme of our programme, which will focus on Art, Fashion and Identity. After a successful year long programme in 2009 generously funded by the Prince Claus Fund and the Mondriaan Foundation - focusing on video art which culminated in the first international video art exhibition in Nigeria, Identity: An Imagined State, in 2010 our focus turns to photography. The year kick starts with an ambitious international art photography residency programme featuring artists and curators from Nigeria, Europe, the Americas as well as participating artists from Cameroon and South Africa, Cameroon and Mozambique. We are excited about the level of dialogue and exchange this affords us. The first exhibition highlights the direction of our interest in 2010 as we focus on Art, Fashion and Identity and the role of photography within contemporary art. In April we present the work of Turkish artist Pinar Yolacan to a Lagos audience. Her stunning photographic series Maria allows us to engage in discus-

sions concerning gender and beauty in unprecedented ways. This is followed by a group exhibition, Pret-a-PARTager, which features the work of over fifteen artists, photographers and fashion designers across Africa and from Germany. The Nigeria art sector is slowly beginning to accept the blurring of artistic boundaries with collaborations increasing across various media, and including artists who will be showing in Nigeria for the first time. Our international programme sees us attending the 3rd Johannesburg Art Fair in March for the second time. JAF allowed us to grow our network considerably last year, and we see it not only as an important platform for African artists to enter the art market, but also as a way of increasing the visibility for their work. This year we are being more venturesome by taking a group of exciting young artists who are at the beginning of their careers. This years exhibition will include, among others, a selection of vividly stimulating photographic works by Paul Sika, an Ivorian artist based in Abidjan. This year we continue to focus on inhouse professional development as CCA, Lagos welcomed Petra Szilagyi for a month-long (January February 2010) internship programme, which resulted in the artist organizing a video art workshop, staging independent and collaborative performances throughout Lagos in addition to pursuing research on contemporary art. We will also welcome Thom Ogonga, an artist and curator based at the Kuona Trust Art Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. Ogonga is part of the Skills and Knowledge Exchange programme that will align with our upcoming photography residency. As you might have noticed our newsletter, which has increased by almost

200%, sports a refreshing new design in full colour thanks to support from AECID through the Spanish Embassy in Nigeria. We have also added several new sections, which reflect the generous time contribution of our writers. Additions include a city-feature on the art scene in Accra, Ghana, introduction to the Canadian Kenneth Montagues art collection, studio visit by curator Gabi Ngcobo, as well as the reprint of timeless writing by pioneering modern Nigerian artist Ben Enwonwu. The portfolio section is a shop window to present and introduce the work of emerging contemporary artists on the continent. It also serves to encourage the culture

of supporting contemporary art and building a much-needed local and continental collector base. CCA,Lagos is nothing without the core of its existence the library. Throughout 2009 we continued to receive an incredible amount of donations from around the world adding to the ones that we purchase directly. We say a BIGGG thank you to all the organisations, artists, curators, and friends of CCA,Lagos an innumerable list. We continue to look for ways to increase membership and readership. To encourage the use of the library we have slashed our joining rates by a massive sixty percent despite

zero funding from anywhere. But in the spirit of owambe we will continue to be there. Welcome to our world. Bisi Silva Director

1 Paul Sika. (Untitled #1) GloGlo Gospel series, 2007 - Courtesy the Artist.

CCA,Lagos / Newsletter issue No.8 / January - April 2010

International Art Photography Residency Programme

26th28th March 2010 Sandton International Convention Hall. Visit us at Booth No 16

3rd Johannesburg Art Fair

express erudite narratives deriving from the artists imagination and life experiences. The artist explores rigorously the digital potential of photography, through post-production, in order to construct new ways of perceiving the everyday. He studied Software Engineering at the University of Westminster, London, UK. He lives and works in Abidjan, Cote dIvoire.
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Forthcoming Programmes

Past Programmes

The final selection of artists was the result of an open call and invitation process that resulted in the presentation of twelve video works by emerging artists such as Emeka Ogboh, Uchay Chima Joel and Lucy Azubuike to more established international artists such as Berni Searle, Grace Ndiritu and Bouchra Khalili. The exhibition was well received and widely attended with audiences from French expatriate groups, to secondary schools. The substantial feedback received was positive as was the interest from educational and media organizations over the course of the exhibition. As part of CCA,Lagos ongoing collaboration with P.A.G.E.S organized by Aderemi Adegbite, part of the public programme included readings and discussions with two Nigerian writers Jumoke Verissimo and Teju Cole that expanded on the exhibitions theme.

ful tool for self-representation and communication. He emphasised the urgent need for the majority-world, who come from the global south to take ownership and control of images of themselves. He went on to outline the humble birth and steady growth of Drik Photo Agency one of the largest independent photo agencies in South East Asia. This includes developing different educational, presentation and income generating sections such as the photo agency, a school and a photo biennale Chobi Mela, which have resulted in the long-term sustainability of the organisation. The resounding standing ovation Alam received in the room packed with mainly photographers, artists and friends of CCA,Lagos struck a chord in the imagination of all present. For CCA,Lagos it was a befitting second year celebration as well as an appropriate anticipation of our focus on photography in 2010. We acknowledge the support of the Prince Claus Fund in the realisation of all the Art-iculate lectures.

TRASH-ING: New Works by Kainebi Osahenye

Kainebi Osahenyes recent solo exhibition at CCA, Trash-ing, sparked a great deal of dialogue about the status of painting in contemporary Nigerian art. The exhibition, which was on view from September 9 October 10, 2009, managed to disturb the uneasily calm and conservative waters of the Nigerian art scene, prompting viewers to re-consider not only the aesthetic merit of the detritus in their environments, but also the viability of appropriating such material as a form of political and socio-economic critique. Osahenyes exhibition was composed of six large-scale works, ranging from the subtle and poetic series of black paintings on newspaper, Blackout, 2009, to more overwhelming installations like Causalities, 2009 an evocative array of hundreds of soda cans which hung vertically from the ceiling and gave way to textured heaps reminiscent of bodies. The exhibition was accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue, wherein Professor Sylvester Ogbechie, UC, Santa Barbara and Professor Frank Ugiomoh, University of Port Harcourt contributed insightful essays that elaborate critically Osahenyes practice. Also supplementing the exhibition was a dynamic artists talk session that afforded viewers an opportunity to engage with the artist.

Art-iculate

The Centre for Contemporary Art,Lagos in fulfillment of its objectives, has over the past two years presented an innovative programme of exhibitions, talks, seminars, workshops and events that engage audiences both locally and internationally. In light of this, we are pleased to present our 2010 programme, On Independence and The Ambivalence of Promise. We start this landmark year for Nigeria and the African continent with an ambitious and innovative art photography residency program that presents an opportunity for emerging contemporary African artists to explore critically the ever evolving aesthetic, conceptual, and technical possibilities of art photography.
In 2010 the focus will be on Art Photography. In Nigeria, photography has been practiced for over one hundred years providing a long tradition of the medium in the country. However, practitioners, for the most part, have yet to fully explore the discursiveness of the medium, moving beyond genres like studio, documentary and photo-journalism. This residency program aims to emphasize the conceptual dimensions of art photography, by encouraging participants to examine the status of photography within contemporary visual art practice as a point of departure. This residency allows participants from different artistic backgrounds painting, sculpture, performance art, video art, sound art and photography to expand their creative potential as they construct new possibilities for engaging the photo-image. The intellectual and conceptual underpinning of the project questions the limits of postcolonial critical thinking and ideas. Furthermore, it considers dreams, realities and possibilities for full independence that have engaged people and communities across languages, cultures and regions. The project attempts to engender new methods of reflecting on the economic, cultural and sociopolitical concerns of the present as well as questioning ones relationship to the larger totality. This provides a platform on which artists and cultural practitioners can explore new ways of engaging and articulating the conditions of our contemporaneity. Over the course of thirty days the residency will feature experienced local and international artists, critics, and curators including: Akinbode Akinbiyi (Nigeria/ Germany); Miriam Backstrm (Sweden); Giovanni Carmini (Switzerland); Tam Fiofori (Nigeria); Marja Helander (Finland); Jide Adeniyi Jones (Nigeria); Heta Kuchka (Finland); Simon Njami (Cameroon); Senam Okudzeto (Ghana/Switzerland); Phillipe Pirotte (Belgium/Switzerland); Rosangela Renno (Brazil); Carrie Schneider (USA); Mats Stjernstedt (Sweden); Daniella Wennberg (Norway). Among the participating artists are Akingbade Adeyinka, Jelili Atiku, Lucy Azubuike, Ndidi Dike, Chidinma Nnorom, Iria Ojeikere, Richardson Ovbiebo, Folarin Shasanya, Uche Okpa-Iroha, and William West from Nigeria; and their counterparts Landry Mbassi (Cameroon) and Sabelo Mlangeni (South Africa). Project conceived and developed for the Centre for Contemporary Art,Lagos by Aura Seikkula, Independent Curator, Helsinki, Bisi Silva, Director/Curator, CCA,Lagos. Project Co-ordinated by Antawan I. Byrd, 2009-10 US Fulbright Fellow/Curatorial Assistant, CCA,Lagos. CCA,Lagos gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Nordic Culture Point, the Finnish Fund for Art Exchange, and AECID through the Embassy of Spain in Nigeria. Further support from El Anatsuis Afrika Studio, Nsukka, Kelechi Amadi-Obi Studio, Lagos, the Public Affairs Section of the US Consulate General in Lagos, the Ministry of Culture, Brazil, ProHelvetia, Office for Contemporary Art Norway, the Kunsthalle Bern and the Swedish Institute. In partnership with PictureWorksExtra, Nigeria and FrameshopExtra, Nigeria. For further information please contact: Antawan Byrd antawan@ccalagos.org +234 702 836 7106
1 Sabelo Mlangeni. Low Prices Daily, 2006. Courtesy the Artist and Michael Stevenson Gallery.

Lucy Azubuike 1972 uses photography and video art to explore the relationships between African traditional culture, religion and patriarchy and their subsequent influence on the lives and experiences of women. Azubuike received a Fine Art (Graphics) degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. She also has a postgraduate diploma in Gender Studies from the University of Abuja. She lives and works in Abuja, Nigeria.
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Old News #5 and Old News #6

When artists were invited to participate in the Old News No. 6 project between June and July 2009, the recurring question most of the artists asked was what is artistic in newspaper clippings? The artists were encouraged to think discursively about the material and its potential to facilitate self-expression in unexplored manners. Once the participating artists realized such possibilities, the contributions started pouring in. We received collections of clippings and collages, all expressing explicit emotions. This included disappointments, silliness, gossips and the peculiarity and incompetence of sociopolitical and economic structures in Nigeria.

The artists explored most Nigerian newspaper publications, providing through the Old News No. 6 project a creative portal for information gathering, sharing and exchange. The format of the exhibition enabled each participating artist to engage, through old news, with 31 artists in Malm, Sweden, as their clippings were linked with the clippings of Nigerian artists according to dates and arranged chronically in a calendar-like structure. Also available to the public were previous issues of the Old News project: #1, #2, #3 and #4, offering viewers an opportunity to experience profoundly the many ways in which archival material can assume new forms of relevance.

Accompanying the Old News #6 exhibition was Old News #5, a solo project by the Copenhagen-based conceptual artist, Jens Haaning. The artist offered his own take on old news by focusing exclusively on a feature in the sixth largest Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet. Since 1976, the daily newspaper has featured profiles of local Danish girls, known as Page 9 girls that include semi-nude photographs and personal profiles. Haaning selected 33 Page 9-girls, reproduced their photographs and translated their profile text into English in order to broach the portrayal of women in the media, particularly in Denmark. The presence of artist Jens Haaning and Jacob Fabricius, curator and director of Malm Konsthall allowed them to present their artistic and curatorial practices before an interested audience.
1 Kainebi Osahenye, Casualties, 2009. Photo: Jide Alakija. 2 Shahidul Alam giving a lecture. Photo: Iria Ojeikere. 3 Old News #6 at the Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos, Nigeria.

Identity: An Imagined State

The final part of the yearlong video art focus, which included two workshops OneMinute and Linha Imaginaria culminated in the first international video art exhibition in Nigeria, Identity: An Imagined State. It was also the first curatorial project by Jude Anogwih and Oyinda Fakeye with the help of Hansi Momodu (Former Arts Project Co-ordinator). Taking identity as the point of departure with a focus on how it is constructed, the exhibition highlighted sub-themes that ranged from mobility, uncertainty, struggle to belonging.
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In Memoriam
Lamidi Fakeye 1928 - 2009
in wood sculpture as one of the bearers of the 3000-year old Yoruba tradition of ONA, or great art (hence his name Olonade --the master artist is among us), which is revered among the Yoruba and their neighbors as evidence of divine blessing. Lamidi Fakeye was blessed and he shared his blessing selflessly with everyone he came into contact with. His works were full of grace and power, and astonished everyone by the supreme skill of the artist. I lament his passing, for we have not had time to do justice to his immense contributions to global contemporary art of his lifetime. And these are immense. Olonade apoginifun, orun re o! To ba dohun, ma jekolo Oun ti won ba nje nibe ni ko ba won je! May his soul rest in peace. First published on Dec. 31, 2009 by Sylvester Okwunodu Ogbechie, on the blog Aachronym (http://aachronym. blogspot.com/2009/12/in-memoriamlamidi-olonade-fakeye.html).

Last year CCA,Lagos was invited to the 2nd annual JoburgArtFair in South Africa. This endeavour was rewarding in offering an invaluable opportunity for networking, and increasing the visibility of contemporary art from across the continent. Once again, CCA,Lagos continues in its objectives of bringing established and emerging artists to a South African audience. The works of Safaa Erruas and Kemang Wa-Lehulere connect through similar yet highly individual aesthetic and formal concerns that use the painterly form as the point of departure. In the work of Paul Sika and Kainebi Osahenye the everyday is foregrounded in their urban portraits whilst the theme of identity - political, historical or sexual - is brought to the fore in the works of Yinka Shonibare and Lucy Azubuike. Through their works these artists articulate their points of view on a myriad of issues that impact on us individually and collectively.
Safaa Erruas, b. 1976 reduces space to its simplest form of expression through her monochromatic wall drawings, paintings, and installations. Her beautiful, silent presentations are powerful artistic articulations that use seemingly everyday objects such as needles, pins, razor, thread and silk. Through their deceptive simplicity they invoke complex emotions such as pain, pleasure and healing as well as making reference to issues of history, tradition and gender. She studied Fine Art at the Academy of Art in Tetouan. Erruas lives and works in Ttouan, Morocco. Kemang Wa Lehuleres (1984) artistic practice investigates a variety of issues, such as the looming precariousness of identity and race relations in post-apartheid South Africa. Working across an array of media including performance, video and painting, Wa Lehulere, is a founding member of the artists collective, Gugulective, which considers arts potential to transform social spaces through public interventions. He lives and works in South Africa. Kainebi Osaheyne, b. 1964. Osahenyes practice fluctuates seamlessly between the metaphysical and the physical, from the unreal to the real, foregrounding issues related to religion and identity and expanding on others such as globalisation, consumerism, mans inhumanity and the environment, thus forming the nodal focus of much of his work. The artists recent work signals a departure from his well-known, large-scale, neoexpressionist paintings towards the incorporation of more conceptual concerns through a format that increasingly borrows from an installation orientated process work that can be read on many levels formal, aesthetic or contextual revealing layers of stories, visuality and materiality. Osahenye received degrees from Auchi Polytechnic in 1986 and Yaba College of Technology in 1989. Osaheyne lives and works in Lagos and Auchi, Nigeria. Paul Sika, b. 1985 Sikas vibrant and brilliantly lush photographs effortlessly oscillate between the realm of commercial photography and fine art photography. His meticulous images are carefully conceptualized and implemented to

Yinka Shonibare MBE, 1962. is perhaps best known for his appropriation of batik fabrics in sculptural tableaus, Shonibares artistic practice explores both the current and historical effects of race, colonialism, globalization and class on our contemporary present. The artist interrogates our ambivalent and contradictory attitudes toward these issues across diverse forms of media such as video, installation, photography, drawing and painting. Shonibare earned an MA from Goldsmiths College, London University in 1991. He lives and works in London, UK.

The yearlong lecture series, which brought renowned art professionals such as Prof. Yacouba Konate of University of Abidjan, Monna Mokoena of Momo Gallery, Johannesburg, Solange Farkas of Museum of Contemporary Art, Bahia ended with a befitting guest speaker Shahidul Alam of Drik Photo Agency, Dhaka. His talk highlighted the need to understand and use photography as a power-

Professional Development (1)

72 Art Hours in Stockholm and a FIAC Encounter in Algiers Jude Anogwih
ness of the rich possibilities in publishing catalogues and exhibition materials. On the whole, I found that Swedens emergence into international contemporary artscape is a result of her resolute sustenance and promotion of purposeful artistic encounters such as residencies, easy accessibility to grants and artists education. I was delighted to meet and discover the work of artists like Sean Snyder, whose installation work at INDEX, the Swedish Contemporary Art Foundation, focused on the use of photography, video film and text, and investigates media, architecture and the urban environment as representatives of economic and political structures. Among the many galleries we visited were Magasin 3, Moderna Museet, Stockholm Konsthall and Bonnier Konsthall. Sthlm! Sthlm! Sthlm! definitely lived up to the triple repetition of its name as it provided multiple opportunities for participants to network and lay the foundations for future collaborations and communication. II CCA,Lagos was also invited to participate in the First International Festival of Contemporary Art in Algeria, which was organized by the Ministry of Culture and The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Algiers. Starting from the 17th November 2009 to 28th February 2010, the exhibition aimed to focus on many of the topical and salient issues in contemporary art across Africa and around the world such as the environment, migratory influx, art markets within and outside the continent and art in the centre of ideological conflicts. I participated in a roundtable discussion among international art historians, curators, critics and artists that supplemented the festivals primary exhibition, which featured over thirty contemporary artists from Africa, South America, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia. The exhibition featured work by two Nigerian artists: Bright Eke and Amarachi Okafor. During the roundtable, we all shared the same task of contributing to the theoretical discourse on both the condition of, and necessity for, contemporary art specifically in Algeria, but also globally. Ultimately, much attention was paid to examining how contemporary forms of expression articulate critical issues that relate to humanity and the environment. My presentation during the festival was on contemporary art, the environment and the migratory influx. Titled Art Pace and Change, the paper underlined the revolution of contemporary art in Africa, specifically Lagos, the many possibilities for creative minds to share knowledge, network and discover artistic avenues that eloquently describe, interpret and present a spectrum of works that engage the challenges of climate, nature and impacts of global conditions in Africa. CCA,Lagos was also brought to fore as a major platform for presentation of art projects, exhibitions and artists such as George Osodi and Kainebi Osahenye, whose work explores issues that relate to the environment. that of the nearby stranger cum relative. I mention all of this as a way of reflecting on my experiences as a US Fulbright fellow, a post bestowed upon me by the US State Department with the mission of fostering cross-cultural understanding through my studies of contemporary art here in Nigeria. Much of my professional experiences here have been influenced profoundly by this sense of intimacy. There are no cubicles or departments at CCA; everyone helps everyone else to do everything necessary in fulfilling the centres mission of being one of Nigerias foremost independent art institutions. Within days of my arrival at CCA, I was selling exhibition catalogues and serving wine to guests at Kainebi Osahenyes solo exhibition, Trash-ing. And before I knew it, I found myself publishing exhibitions reviews, editing a newsletter, coordinating an exhibition catalogue, visiting artists studios, traveling to Bamako, Mali to see and write about a photography biennial, giving a talk on digital media art at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, meeting with Prof. El Anatsui and visiting his studio, organizing CCAs upcoming photography residency programme and coordinating our forthcoming participation in the 3rd Johannesburg Art Fair. This is all in addition to beginning a book project of artists interviews and writings on the rising temperature of Nigerias art climate. While work in Nigeria can be challenging, it can also be good, especially at CCA where my experiences have illuminated invaluably the virtues and benefits of collaborative thought and cross-cultural engagement. Having the opportunity to be in Lagos, to look at works of art intently, to engage with artists, and to interact with people who are intellectually curious about arts potential, has enabled me to realise first-hand the importance of context and how it shapes knowledge. I am reminded of this relationship every time I consider the abundance of inaccuracies regarding Nigeria that circulates within the global imagination, perhaps especially in light of the recent terrorist attempt and Nigerias subsequent blacklisting. Pele.
1 Swedish Artist, Johan Thurfjell presenting one of his sculptural works at Gallerie Nordenhake. Photo: Jude Anogwih. 2 Antawan giving a talk at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

The acclaimed Nigerian artist and preeminent wood sculptor, Lamidi Olonade Fakeye, passed away in Ile-Ife on Christmas. He has since been buried. I am besieged by death and have sat the past five days thinking about his passing, in this season of great losses, of friends, mentors and colleagues who have passed into the great beyond. There is no doubt Fakeyes fame will survive his death and only grow, but his passing leaves a great hole in our universe of eminent artists. He was known at home and abroad, and his fame rested on solid personal achievements: his skill

Charles Onwordi 1968 - 2009

a mentorship relationship as I and my colleagues - notably Hansi and Antawan - who worked closely with him sat with him throughout all the design for the CCA,Lagos newsletter. I was a tough mentor and did my utmost to push him in his design and in his business. And he rose to the challenge. One only has to look at the first design of the newsletter and the final one he did for us. Over the past 2 years and 6-7 editions of the CCA,Lagos newsletter, Charles has designed all of them sometimes at very very short notice. In that respect he showed 110% commitment to our absurdly short time delays. He also designed flyers and invitations and was always there for CCA,Lagos whenever we needed any help. Charles was a caring human being. I remember once he called me at 10pm as he was worried about CCA,Lagoss longterm survival. I have rarely encountered such acts of kindness and consideration. At other times he will call with business strategy I should think about. Sometimes it seemed he worried more about CCA,Lagos than I did. We also used to talk about his business and how he can develop and grow it and about marketing strategies he can employ. Charles formed part of the inner workings of CCA,Lagos. We will not be who we are and where we are without his generosity of time, his patience, his concern, his care, his understanding. I am saddened by his loss, but I am more angry with a country that refuses to provide the necessary healthcare for those who need it. Charles should not have died and in any other country he would not have died. But we know his presence on this earth was not in vain. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace. May God grant his family the strength to persevere. Amen.

The fair will be taking place from March 26 28, 2010. Check out Portfolio@ CCA on Page 7 for a selection of work to be featured at this years JAF.

Pinar Yolaan
Pinar Yolaan Maria 17th April 29th of May 2009 As part of the year long focus on Photography and Art, Fashion and Identity, CCA,Lagos is pleased to present Turkish artist Pinar Yolacans critically acclaimed series Maria, (2007) a stunning collection of 22 stunning life size portrait photographs of African-Brazilian

When Eva Holstrm of the Swedish Institute sent me an email inviting CCA, Lagos to participate in an art showcase in Sweden, from the 16 19 September 2009, it occurred to me that this was another professional opportunity to represent the Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos in another major international project in Sweden. The major focus of the Swedish Institute is to showcase Stockholms leading galleries and museumsboth public and private art institutionsby presenting an exclusive programme of Swedish contemporary art to international curators, critics, directors and collectors. Such an endeavour ultimately provided a unique opportunity for art professionals to gain insight into Stockholms diverse contemporary art sector. I was quite eager to experience what it is that makes Stockholms contemporary art scene so unique and appealing. I found the project professionally valuable and inspirational, especially the studio visits and interactions with some of the Swedish artists. It was an interesting opportunity for me to learn advanced skills in strategic and innovative art presentation, project coordination/management and what I will refer to as a 360 art motion that is, from conceptualization to actualization of art projects. I also discovered how Swedish artists and art institutions promoted their art activities and programmes passionately, and in line with global realities, experiences and issues. As we moved from one Konsthall to the other, I had the opportunity to gain a greater aware-

Pele Antawan I. Byrd

women emerging from stark black backgrounds. Taken over a twelve month period in Itaparica, Bahia, Yolaans images are evocative of Old Master portraits, possessing the psychological and emotional immediacy of the Romantic genre. But in this series the artist subverts regality by dressing her sitters in elaborate hand sewn couture costumes

with trimmings of unusual materials such as velvet, satin, tripe, placenta and sheeps testicles. Through this series Yolaan engages with issues of beauty, the body, colonialism, and death as a way of broaching the impermanence of things. Pinar Yolaan was born in Ankara, Tur-

key in 1981. She attended Londons Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and Chelsea School of Art and Design, and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Cooper Union in New York City. She has participated in several international exhibitions including most recently Dress Codes, the 3rd ICP Triennal of Photography, International Centre for Photography, New York, (2009), Tracking Traces KIASMA, Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki, (2009) In the light of Play CCA,Lagos at Durban Art Gallery, Durban, and 2nd Johannesburg Art Fair, South Africa (2009), Turkish Realities: Positions in Contemporary Photography from Turkey, Fotografie Forum International Frankfurt, Germany (2008). She lives and works in Brooklyn, New York and Istanbul, Turkey.
1 Installation view of CCAs booth at last years Joburg Art Fair. 2 Yinka Shonibare. Climate Shit Drawing 1, 2008 Four colour litho. prints with silkscreen glaze, collaged with fabrics and foils and die cut 50.4 x 34.4cm (19 3/4 x 13 1/2in). Framed: 57 x 41.3 x 3.8cm (22 1/2 x 16 1/4 x 1 1/2in) Edition of 200 + 20Aps Courtesy of the artist and the Stephen Friedman Gallery. 3 & 4 Pinar Yolacan Untitled, 2007. Courtesy of Artist.

I do not think that it would be difficult to come up with a list, spanning a page or two, of particulars about Nigeria that I find to be striking for their novelty. This is considering that I came to the country for the first time five months ago. On such a list, I would mention the way in which Nigerians routinely and to me unfamiliarly invoke the word sorry as an expression of sympathy. On several occasions, walking throughout Lagos, I have tripped on curbs and have fallen a few times; I have spilled beers and once, a bowl of pepper soup. In most of these instances, anyone nearby would remark sorry or pele, which means, among other things, sorry in Yoruba. But this is no longer that surprising. My experiences living here have acquainted me with the reality that Nigeria is an incredibly intimate place, everyone is someones uncle or aunty, ma or brother, and when I fall it is not simply my business but also

It is with a deep sense of sadness and loss that I read the news of the passing away of Charles Onwordi. I remember the first time I met Charles, at Yabatech, he was handing out some leaftlets for an exhibition he was taking part in. It had a name which i cant recall now. I think something like the New Revolutionaries. I asked what was revolutionary about the painting they were doing and why is he using names and words without context. He looked at me - I think in a bit of horror, thinking what is this woman talking about and who the hell is she? I went to the exhibition and didnt see anything revolutionary and said so. I dont know how we became friends but I did find out that he was also a graphic designer and that is how our working relationship and friendship began. This was some months before CCA,Lagos opened and I asked him to design the leaflet for the exhibition of Finnish photography I was curating for Bamako Photography Biennale in 2007 and our first newsletter. Even though our design styles were seemed completely opposite, he was committed, diligent, patient and a considerate worker with a passion to learn and explore ideas. Even though I was his client, we had more of

CCA,Lagos / Newsletter issue No.8 / January - April 2010

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CCA,Lagos / Newsletter issue No.8 / January - April 2010

Professional Development (2)

On Amsterdam and Lisbon Oyinda Fakeye
Each year the Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam organises an annual curators meeting, which brings international curators together with cultural producers active in Amsterdam. In October 2009, I was invited alongside Koyo Kouoh (Senegal), Didier Schaub (Cameroon), Simon Njami (France/Cameroon), Nontobeko Ntombela (South Africa) to participate in this programme. SMBA had been focusing on representations of Africa within the sphere of contemporary art, with the aim of finding alternatives to predominantly stereotypical media representations and the research project was been designed to engender critical discussion. The visit was designed to include visits to institutions and artists with a particular interest in contemporary Africa. This was supplemented by a host of public programmes, which included a seminar, a lecture and a video screening. A semi-public seminar by British cultural theorist, Kobena Mercer presented a critical overview of key issues arising from the reception of international exhibitions of African art over the last decade, whilst the public lecture by Simon Njami,Times of Confusion reflected on the idea of the African artist. As a participant I was asked to give a short presentation about CCA,Lagos and some of our recent projects. Prior to my trip to Amsterdam I was asked to submit work from video artists engaging in issues around globalisation and its relation to contemporary Africa. The selections resulted in the screening entitled Africa Reflected on Video. The final selection comprised of the works by Leo Asemota, Lucy Azubuike, Theo Eshetu, Salifou Lindou, Vincent Meessen, Marcel Odenbach, Vitshois Mwilambwe Bondo, Guy Wouete, Emeka Ogboh and others; they were screened in conjunction to a presentation by Vincent Meessen. The programme was curated by Koyo Kouoh (Dakar) and Didier Schaub (Doualart) and myself; it was hosted by the Netherlands Media Art Institute. Reflecting on the works seen during my stay in Amsterdam, it is safe to say that this is a country where video art is a medium used by many artists and that there was a large platform for it to be seen. The Africa Reflected research project was initiated by Jelle Bouwhuis and Kerstin Winking of SMBA. December saw me heading to Lisbon, Portugal to take part in a two-day conference designed to develop and discuss possible programming objectives for Africa. cont, a cultural centre in the process of being built in the city. Africa.cont is conceived as a platform for the development of relationships encompassing communication, cooperation and interaction between Europe, African countries and their Diasporas. Over the course of the two-day conference a panel of renowned curators, artists and cultural theorists debated and discussed issues that would be pertinent to developing the new institution. The issues discussed were: Cultural Centres as a Place for Debates, Culture and Diplomatic Policies, African Cultures, Modernity and Contemporaneity, Portugal as a Place for Africa.cont. The idea of what or who is an African was debated heavily, as were issues concerning what or whose stories should be told within the centre. The method of dialogue between Africa.Cont and similar organisations on the continent were also discussed. I put forward the need for dialogue between the two, which could include hosting exhibitions that were curated in Africa instead of always in the West. The conference highlighted several working methods, theories and ideas for what Africa.cont could be and in which direction it could begin to develop its programming. There was however a sense of caution in that, being the first organisation of its kind in Portugal the expectations might be too high. potential for art to motivate and engender positive change; CCA,Lagos gave me an opportunity to gain direct involvement in this kind of dialogue. My passion for and my understanding of contemporary art was born during the time I spent there. Instead of looking from Europe outwards with a myopic vision, I began my career from outside the so-called mainstream with a different perspective, placing me in an enviable position as an aspiring curator in the UK. On my return to London I completed an internship at October Gallery- a gallery that has consistently supported art from outside the West. Armed with the knowledge, skills and experience gained at CCA,Lagos I took advantage of the opportunity to take my interest in curatorial practice to the next level with a scholarship at the Royal College of Art, London to pursue the MA in Curating of Contemporary Art (Inspire). This prestigious course has produced an impressive roster of internationally established curators. I am happy to be part of the first intake for the Inspire scholarship of placement based students. In this class, Nigeria is possibly the most well represented as three out of the thirteen students (myself included) are of Nigerian heritage- a very positive precedent for contemporary art in Nigeria, which will inevitably go some way to raise the awareness and appreciation of visual art not only from within the country but also from across the continent. The two-year post graduate course requires me to work as a Curatorial Assistant at the Turner Contemporary, an art organization in Margate, and attend regular study blocks at the RCA in London, providing me with both the practical and theoretical knowledge that will undoubtedly prepare me as a curator of contemporary art. The unique experiences I had while at CCA,Lagos, not to mention the diverse range of artists, creators and cultural producers I met, has been influential in leading me to the further study of contemporary art- and I am certain that it will lead me back at CCA,Lagos in the near future to share that learning.

Emeka Ogboh (1977) He lives and works in Lagos.

Artist Focus: Emeka Ogboh

Emeka Ogboh joins an increasing number of visual artists in Nigeria confidently exploring and employing the use of technology in their work. Whilst the old medium of photography has a long tradition in the country, few artists consider digital or mobile technology a valid tool for artistic experimentation. Ogboh uses new media technology in his work as a way of analyzing the structures of cities in developing countries. Taking cities, especially those in societies in transition as his point of departure, Ogboh focuses/highlights them as a construct whose fabric is defined by its acoustic character. By fusing art and technology in his new media interventions, he provides a critical insight on the pulse of a city temporally and spatially. The architectonic of Lagos as a mega city, for example, opens up a multitude of discursive possibilities including cultural narcissism, harmony, destabilization, chaos, uniformity, homogeneity and heterogeneity. Emeka Ogboh received his B.A in Graphic Arts from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 2001. He has participated in exhibitions and media workshops both in Nigeria and internationally. Ogbohs work was recently featured in the One Minutes Train video exhibition at the 2009 Venice Biennale as well as Identity:An Imagined State at CCA,Lagos 2009. He also participated in the group exhibition, This is Lagos, at the African Artists Foundation, Lagos and the Coningsby Gallery, 2009 London. Ogboh participated in the video art workshops Linha Imaginaria, CCA,Lagos, 2009; the One Minutes Foundation video workshop, CCA,Lagos, 2008; and the Doualart video art workshop, Douala, Cameroon, 2009.

Two Re-Views
At Home in Bamako
Abraham Oghobase

8th Encounters of Bamako, African Photography Biennale

Bisi Silva As part of the 8th Encounters of Bamako, African Photography Biennale, (7th Nov- 7th Dec 2009) photographer Emeka Okereke initiated the Lagos-Bamako project. With 9 Nigerian photographers and writers1, the group embarked by road across the borders of Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Burkina Faso and into Mali. The extent of superfluous barriers encountered -official, economic, linguistic and cultural - makes the ambitions of West African integration by supra-regional body ECOWAS almost delusional. The groups contribution Invisible Borders presented as a slide and audio show aptly embodies the biennales thematic premise.

BS: Have you had an opportunity to exhibit your Lagos soundscapes? If so what has been the response of the local art community? EO: I exhibited the Lagos soundscapes for the first time at the African Artists Foundation in February 2009, and then at the Coningsby Gallery London in February and April 2009. The shows were titled This is Lagos and my work consisted of speakers and earphone installations. I have to admit it was pretty tough trying to sell the idea of sound as an art form to the local audience in Nigeria. A lot of people are still sceptical about new media art, nonetheless they seem to accept it as something fresh and innovative in the local art scene.

BS: In 2009 you took your work a step further by taking part in the video workshops at CCA,Lagos. How has that impacted on your work and its future direction? EO: Attending the 2009 CCA Video Workshops was one of the best things that happened to my art career. I had the opportunity to work with professionals in the field of video art like Miguel Petchkovsky, Goddy Leye, Eustaquio Neves and the One Minute Foundation team, and Selby Gildemacher and Heerko van der kooij. My first OneMinutes video, after the workshop, ended up being exhibited with the OneMinutes train at the Venice Biennale 2009. This motivated me to experiment more in this field and explore ways of combining it with my sound works. Im currently shooting and building up my video archives. Im also working on the idea of making an unscripted short film on Lagossort of like a Lagos video blog.
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Visual Art Internship at CCA,Lagos Petra Szilagyi

Petra Szilagyi is currently majoring in studio art and will complete her BA degree in June 2010 at Williams College in Massachusetts, US. In January 2010, she will be undergoing an internship at the CCA,Lagos organizing and facilitating the third video art workshop. Petra will focus on her own art practice by exploring the city of Lagos and collaborating with local artists like Jelili Atiku. She says, Im really excited about engaging with local artists to explore the possibilities of video art, sharing ideas and hashing out concepts. She chose to work in Lagos at the CCA in order to take advantage of the citys cultural heritage and its international reputation as a mega city. Im interested in understanding how local artists interact within their socio-political environment, and how such engagement influences their own art-making. Szilagyi began exploring video art three years ago as a second-year undergraduate at Williams, and has concentrated on the medium ever since. Originally from Los Angeles, she was brought up in an atmosphere of self monitoring and performativity. Being so close to the film industry and a city of aspiring actors, she has always been fascinated by video-recording, namely the choice to perform and record the self as oneself or as someone else. She often acts as the subject in her own films which are concerned with performed identity and the influence of environment and institutions on the construction of self. She is also a painter, illustrator and installation artist.
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BS: I dont know other artists working in sound in Lagos or even the rest of Nigeria, which means you must feel artistically/professional isolated? EO: I have to admit I do get this loner feeling now and then, but Ive never felt completely isolated because Im still able to discuss my work with a couple of Nigerian artists who are thinking in the direction of new media, for example Jude Anogwih. My first sound installation was actuallya collaboration with painter Bob Aiwerioba. He painted from the field recordings I made. I do frequently get in touch with Nigerian professionals who work with sound, but in the music industry. I connect with them for sound production tips and collaborative ideas. The Internet has connected me with some international new media artists who work with sound. This connection has helped me deal with this isolation and Ive had the opportunity to collaborate with some of these artists. Viennese artist Harald Scherz and the Macedonian artists Dimitar Ddvki and Aleksandar Grozdanovski were part of my This is Lagos Exhibition. Through the internet I joined some online sound forums like the World Listening project and the Locus Sonus where I got acquainted with sound artists like Eric Leonardson and Jerome Joy. I really admire their works and their commitment to sound projects. Eric Leonardson gave me a list of books to start up with and Ive invested quite a sum in getting some of these books. I started off with AudioVision by Michel Chion, On Sonic Art by Trevor Wishart, and Sound Design by David Sonnenschein. Last October, I took time out to go to Vienna for a studio visit, where I spent time with my mentor Harald Scherz at the Nucleo studio. This visit ended with the media monster sound project which is currently in the works. BS: Apart from the soundscapes what are the other themes you are exploring or will be exploring in your work? EO: For now Im still on the soundscapes, its a vast theme! But Im considering exploring the dynamics of public spaces and Im 100% open to collaborative ideas and projects.
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I felt like I was home with this years 8th edition of the Bamako Encounters African Photography Biennial, which took up the theme of Borders as its focal point. I participated in the 2005 edition, a new experience that enabled me, as a photographer, to interact with other artists from different parts of the world. Being back in this year, I have come to realize that not much has changed in West African, Francophone country of Mali.
This biennial is a platform to get responses to ones work and also to meet with curators and most importantly to share experiences with fellow colleagues. This often results in long conversations about the challenges artists from Africa face in terms of how the general public responds to our art, not accepting it the way it is in Europe, which leaves us in a very precarious position. Theres always a constant struggle for artists trying to create opportunities and awareness for Africans to see, buy and understand our work, in the hope that it will t affect policy makers and also add economic value. The process of getting to Mali was quite complicated getting my flights sorted out as well as connecting from Lagos to Abidjan to Ouagadougou and finally to Bamako. Its sad that there are no direct flights between Nigeria and Mali, while travelers from France or coming from Europe have that privilege a reflection of borders within my continent, What really is the concept of ECOWAS? The Bamako Encounters opened on November 7th at the Musee National du Mali with the pan-African exhibition, Borders, where my series, Lost in Transit, was exhibited in a multimedia format. It was an overwhelming experience for me engaging with artists working both in Africa and the Diaspora, in terms of how they practice and what we share. I figured that as Africans we need to tell our stories but we lack the ability to tell them in more conceptual ways - beyond, for example, the documentary genre. The biennial offered an opportunity to relax, but also to reflect on what were doing in our practice with exhibition openings, roundtables, workshops and portfolio reviews being held across the city in venues such as the Musee du District and the Palais de la Culture. The British photographer Martin Parr gave quite an interesting presentation, which took us through his evolution as a photographer by reflecting on the unique ways in which he approaches his subject matter. The Bla Bla Bar in Bamako, a trendy hangout spot, was a biennial favourite that offered opportunities for artists to end each day discussing their experiences over rounds of Castel beer. I remember a particularly stimulating conversation with Cameroonian artist Bili Bidjocka - who lives between Paris and Brussels - wherein he mentioned his impressions of the works that were exhibited at the biennial and his preference for those artists that were pushing boundaries and experimenting with their forms of expression and presentation. The language barrier for me, as an Anglophone participant, was another border I faced. As much as we tried, conversations with French-speaking photographers and curators were quite limited, save for the few opportunities featuring a bi-lingual translator to bridge the gap. Communicating with taxi drivers (many of whom were native Bambara speakers and had even a limited knowledge of French) was also a challenge, given the language differences but also the fact that many didnt even seem to know how to get us to the hotels and other event venues of the biennial. There was a strong Nigerian presence in Bamako, with five Nigerian artists showing in the festival; it was very exciting for us to see a friend and fellow photographer, Uche Okpa Iroha, winning the Grand Prix Seydou Keita the biennials main prize. Ultimately it was a great experience being back in Bamako. I look forward to seeing how my work and that of my peers evolves as a result of the 8th Encounters and the week-long personal encounters we had on many different levels. Abraham Oghobase is a Lagos-based artist. This article was first published in 234Next on December 7, 2009. It is reprinted here with the permission of its author.

This years biennale attempts to cross its own curatorial and organisational border. Curated by Cameroonian Simon Njami for the last four editions, the quiet Malian city is fast becoming what many people consider to be a strong contender as the image capital of Africa. The newly appointed artistic directors Michket Krifa and Laura Serani are charged with leading the biennale towards a bold new future. Taking Borders as their curatorial framework Krifa and Serani open wide the discursive and aesthetic interpretations through the works of 40 photographers and 13 video artists. The presentations range from the slick large-scale fine art photographs of international artists including Zineb Sediras Shipwreck (2008) an pictorial elegy to a cemetery of ships in the desert city of Nouadhibou, Kader Attias Square Rock,(2009) an architectural articulation of space and time about the place Algerian youths go to dream about a better life across the water, to emerging artist Mohamed Bourouissas Periphery (2006) of staged images of power dynamics and tension among youths in Parisian suburbs. Documentary style photography dominates the pan-African exhibition in which issues of displacement, migration, persecution, personal and collective alienation and trauma feature overwhelmingly. These narratives include Jodi Biebers Going home,(2001) Mohamed

Camaras Malians in Paris, Armel Louzala Broken Houses,(2008) Lebohang Mashiloane Somali Refugees, and Baudouin Mouandas The Aftermath of the 1997 War, (2008). Whilst these are worthy stories the pervading similitudes in style and content becomes somewhat monotonous. However, respite is to be found in personal reflections such as Abraham Oghobases Lost in Transit (2008) and Berry Bickles video, On the Wire (2009) as well as Raison Naidoos video The 5 pickled money order receipt (2009) which provides one of the few insights into the historical underpinning of migration of indentured Indians to South Africa. The few conceptual engagements with the theme and the medium include Alistair Whittons Patmos and the War at sea (2009) presented as a series of diptychs using Braille and images to make us question ways of seeing, whilst Saidou Dickos World Mosaic (2005-2009) is an utopian call for world unity consisting of 600 3in x 4in images. Other works that rupture the sense of uniformity include Zanele Muholis Ms DVine (2007) and Andrew Esiebos video Living Queer in Africa, (2008) which highlight the societal taboos that impinge on ones sexuality identity. This thread of threatening cultural taboos is continued in the portraits of Albinos by Seydou Camara in Bibianae (2009), Alain Turpaults black and white images

Albinos, (2007) shown at the French Cultural Centre and the Nalik Nejmis Twins Series (2009) documenting a home in Madagascar for twin babies abandoned from birth which captures the melancholy of innocent victims of cultural superstitions. The failings of Borders is counterbalanced by the tightly curated monographic and small thematic group exhibitions in various venues across the city. Of note is the venerable Malick Sidibes New York fashion photography commission (2009) featuring local Malians modelling in his studio clothes designed by leading western designers such as Christian Lacroix, Prada and Marc Jacobs and thework of emerging photographer Baudouin Mouanda whose ongoing series Sape, A Congolese Chronicle (2008) portrays the way in which African Dandies use fashion to express another way of being. Both artists works are seamlessly integrated within the magnificient permanent display of the textile section at the National Museum.

The monographic exhibitions at the Musee de Bamako include Fazal Sheikhs award winning series A Sense of Common Ground (1992) that documents the Sudanese refugee camp in Kenya is a tour de force of humanity and inhumanity that left many viewers emotionally affected and even distraught. The excellent archival photography of J.K Bruce Vanderpuije from his Deo Gratias studio set up in the 20s in Accra presents a fascinating portrayal of Ghanaian aristocracy at ease with their modernity providing an appropriate, alternative representation of Africans in the first half of the 20th century images to the habitual exotic images or ones of a continent in states of perennial crisis. The 8th Encounters is a welcome first attempt by the curatorial duo through the diversity of the exhibitions, projects and public programmes s on offer. Whilst the biennale continues to show a lack of commitment and interest in providing a platform for critical debate crucial to the development of a theoretical discourse on photography it nonetheless opens up different paths leading to a journey of discoveries.
1 The photographers and writer were Amaize Ojeikere, Emeka Okereke, Ray Daniels Okeugo, Lucy Azubuike, Nike Ojeikere, Uche James Iroha, Chriss Aghana Nwobu, Unoma Giese, Charles Okereke, Uche Okpa-Iroha.

Bisi Silva: You studied Graphic design? When and how did you venture into the visual arts? Emeka Ogboh: Being a graphic designer has always been interesting but I was left with this void. I didnt feel fulfilled as an artist, since my works were dictated by the advertising industry. I have always created works of art but was never confident enough to show it. In October 2007 I applied for and got accepted to take part in the Alexandria Media Arts and Lights workshop (AMALA). Attending the workshop not only boosted my confidence but connected me to an area of art where my heart lies: New media art.

BS: Why did you not feel confident enough to show your early art work? EO: Well, lacking in confidence is not exactly the word. A more apt way to put it would be that the Nigerian art scene in the early 2000s had no accommodation for the sort of work I was invested in. Back then I was creating digital illustrations and motion graphics. There was no platform in Nigeria back then to exhibit or discuss these and other new media artworks. However, I had set up a website www.artistswithattitude.com, now defunct, with a very close friend and collaborator, mainly to present works of other artists who shared a similar position and who were working against the grain of the convention in Nigeria at that point. By convention I mean conventional art practices of painting and sculpture.

BS: What was the experience of attending AMALA? EO: The 2007 AMALA was the inaugural workshop of media art organized by Magdy Moussa, an Egyptian multi-media artist. It had about twenty international and Egyptian artists attending. It was a major eye opener as I spent three weeks with a community of different artists, discussing our works and art practices which ranged from video, sound, installation and photography. It afforded me the opportunity to interact, learn and network with these artists. It has proved a valuable network and I have had the opportunity of collaborating on some projects with some of the artists. Culturally speaking, AMALA was also a unique experience.

From whence cometh my interest; A curatorial journey started at CCA, Lagos Loren Hansi Momodu
When I first came to the Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos in June 2008 as Project Co-ordinator, I was overwhelmed to find such a rich resource for art, culture and learning. Given my background in Literature and Cultural Studies, from the moment I stepped into CCA,Lagos I felt inspired by the scope of the library collection. This was a place to spend hours delving into new worlds, and engaging in the most poignant contemporary art discussions. I have always been interested in the

BS: One of your first major works is the soundscapes of Lagos. Can you talk about it? What led you to develop the work? EO: In February 2008 I attended the media class at the Fayoum international winter academy in Egypt. The focus of this class, which was facilitated by the Viennese new media artist Harald Scherz, was on sound and video. On my return to Lagos, I started experimenting with sound, recording and listening to the mega citys acoustic ecology and trying to understand its composition. This experimentation led to the Lagos soundscapes project (www.lagossoundscape.com), which is an ongoing multimedia (sound, web and digital maps) project that explores acoustically Lagos as a mega city. The project involves recording and collecting sounds that make up the different aspects that characterise the city of Lagos and I incorporate these field recordings into my sound installations and sound art pieces. A significant aspect of this project involves observing the effects of the ongoing infrastructural developments on the Lagos soundscape. Currently, Im working towards setting up a live microphone feed in various parts of Lagos and streaming the emergent sounds of the city live online 24/7. This plan has been in motion for a while, but is being delayed by the lack of funding. But hopefully well pull it off soon.

1 Ipod_earphone 2 installation layout 4

3 This_is_Lagos 4 Lagos4planes

1 Museums Mayan-inspired, Jean-Loup Pivin designed building. Photo by Padma Ugbabe. 2 S.DICKO (Burkina Faso), Le voleur dombres, 2005-09, exposition panafricaine Sadou Dicko. 3 F.SHEIKH, Abdia Abdi Khalil with her son Hameed, Somali refugee camp, Mandera, Kenya, 1993Fazal Sheikh.

1 Petra Szilagyi.

CCA,Lagos / Newsletter issue No.8 / January - April 2010

CCA,Lagos / Newsletter issue No.8 / January - April 2010

On the Studio Visit

Gabi Ngcobo

Old News #5

Jens Haaning

Portfolio@CCA,Lagos
An article in the Wall Street Journal on the 3rd of February declared that, collecting contemporary art is the new cocaine. That is one addiction that we are wont to support! Portfolio@ CCA,Lagos is a new initiative developed to encourage and facilitate interest and knowledge in contemporary art from Africa by presenting the work of mainly emerging artists. We hope that this initiative will stimulate the new, but growing generation of collectors on the continent. Kemang wa Lehulere
Considering the rising global interest in contemporary art from African, and taking advantage of our wide network of curators, writers, artists and other art professionals, we are pleased to introduce to a wide audience exciting new works by emerging artists from across the conti-

nent. This pilot edition presents the work of four artists with a steady but growing visibility not only within their countries but also internationally. Safaa Erruas (Morocco), Lucy Azubuike (Nigeria) and Kemang Wa Lehulere (South Africa). More information can be found in the

forthcoming programme section. For further information, please email: info@ccalagos.org

Prior to arriving in New York, I worked as curator for seven years in South Africa. During this period, I visited artists studios often. Not to mention the fact that I myself once worked out of a studio as a practicing artist. But the studio method of working only recently caught on in South Africa, with many artists still having no option but to work out of their homes. It is not uncommon for artists to work out in the streets either. This sense of informality differs radically from the established, systematic method that defines the practice of studio visits in places like New York City. And yet, despite this, some of my most memorable studio visits are precisely those that are of an informal nature.
In South Africa, if the street can be a studio, than the dinner party offers the most elaborate studio visit imaginable. The artist Berni Searle has perfected the art of the dinner party/studio visit, so much that I have learned more about her work whilst eating her curries and her famous rotis, than I probably have through any other avenue. About to Forget, 2005 a three-screen projection of a poetically rendered reflection of a fractured narrative is my favorites of Searles work; I only know it, however, through her illuminating reflections on the work and the personal/political narratives that inspired it. Searle counts this work as her favorite, or at least she did at the time of that one dinner party. Dineo Bopape is afraid of rats and yet in New York City there is no shortage of them. When leaving her Harlem studio, which is often late at night, to go to her apartment, which is also in Harlem, she rattles her keys as an attempt to scare the rats off. I find this quite entertaining to watch, as the rattling somehow also seems to resonate with her work. Her videos installations often incorporate found materials and actions that resemble a clatter/clutter. A good example is the video Under All Means Necessary in which Bopape is seen shaking her braided head vigorously from side to side invoking a fervent refusal or dissent. Bopapes studio is located in a building where several Columbia University MFA students also have studios; at the corner of 125th street and Broadway. Fortunately for her hers has a large window that lets in a lot of light (a rare thing in New York city) and overlooks a busy McDonalds restaurant. I have known Bopape for a while now; we are good friends, so I try to frequent her studio as often as possible. We met in Durban, South Africa several years ago and we both came to New York to study at the same time I at Bards Center for Curatorial Studies, and she at Columbia. Though, given our friendship, I am not sure that my visits to her studio would count properly as studio visits, as I see them more so as informal opportunities to catch up on both work and life. Another memorable studio visit took place with Robin Rhode in Berlin. I was quite surprised to learn that Rhode made work in a studio; this is considering that much of his performance-based work is based outdoors. Rhodes earlier work, in fact the essence of his practice as a whole employs the barest means (a piece of chalk) to create make-believe documented performances on public surfaces, walls, floors or childrens playgrounds. We agreed to meet at his home and proceed to the studio from there. He packed a basket with some goodies; champagne, wine, cigars and snacks. There was another curator with us, Andrea Bellini of Artissima and P.S.1. After a short cab ride, we arrived at the building where his studio is located and began our ascent up a seemingly neverending staircase. Finally, there was the studio. There were works everywhere, on the wall, on the floor, on table surfaces; it was a typical studio if there is such a thing. At this point Rhodes work had become more complex, requiring some aspects of it to be made indoors. These included the black and white shoes molded from chalk and charcoal to be worn by a dancer or Rhode himself in order to make calculated marks on floors or exhibited to resemble piano keys. Rhode played hip-hop music and we helped ourselves to the provisions while talking about the joys and frustrations of the art world and the market. The 5th edition of the Berlin Biennale had just opened with not a single artist from Africa. Rhode expressed his disapproval and his decision to boycott the event. We didnt say much about the work surrounding us, but the visit still managed to somehow endow me with a highly insightful entry into Rhodes practice and thought process and the direction his work was taking at the time. Having said all that, I think it is imperative for artists (in Africa), given the context of their location and resources at their disposal to professionalize their practice, especially their interaction with curators and art historians who might not only open up platforms for their work and historicize their practices but also give much needed feedback that may assist them with unlocking recurring tendencies that may no longer be useful in their work. If this does not happen artists may find themselves creating, and remaining, in isolated oblivion, never to be heard of. Making work is only one aspect of an art career, getting ones work to be seen and experienced is another, and takes up as much time and requires just as much effort. Gabi Ngcobo is a South African curator of contemporary art currently based in New York.

Safaa Erruas
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For further information about the OLD NEWS Project see Past Programmes on page 3, or visit oldnewsnews.org

Old News #6
The selected articles in Old News #6 have been displayed and distributed as free newspapers the last few months at Den Frie Udstillingsbygning, Copenhagen, Denmark, Centre for Contemporary

Jacob Fabricius

Old News #6 shows the choices and voices of 31 Lagos related artists and 31 Malm related artists, and how they experience the news during the month of august 2009.
Art, Lagos, Nigeria and Malm Konsthall, Malm, Sweden. Here is how Old News #6 was in the three exhibition spaces: Old News update www.orldnewsnews.org
3 4

Lucy Azubuike

1 Kemang Wa Lehulere. aMagata Zali pass, 2009. 61cm x 86cm. Ink and Acrylic on Paper Courtesy the artist. 2 Kemang Wa Lehulere. aBa mokoli, 2009. 94cm x 150cm. Ink and Charcoal on Paper Courtesy the artist. 3 Safaa Erraus. Untitled 1 (Series of 5), 2009 24cm x 33cm. Cut Paper and Metallic Thread Courtesy the artist. 4 Safaa Erraus. Untitled 2(Series of 5), 2009 24cm x 33cm. Cut Paper and Metallic Thread Courtesy the artist. 2 5 Lucy Azubuike. Before and After (Diptych) 60cm x 160cm (overall). C-Prints Edition of 10 + 2Aps Courtesy the artist. 6 Lucy Azubuike. Amado Uwa George (Triptych) 60cm x 120cm (overall). C-Prints Edition of 10 + 2Aps Courtesy the artist.

5 6

Thinking Out Loud

4

In this new section we invite artists, critics, curators and other cultural operators to contribute their thoughts and/or comments on specific aspects of contemporary art that interests them.

Notes on Dialogue in Contemporary Art

Antawan I. Byrd
3 1 Old News #5, A solo presentation by Jens Haaning. 4 4 2 Old News #6 at Den Frie Udstillingsbygning, Copenhagen, Denmark. 3 Old News #6 at the Malm Konsthall, Malm, Sweden 4 Old News #6. 4

1 View of Dineo Bopapes studio. Photo: Gabi Ngcobo

5 Old News #6 at the Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos, Nigeria.

Already it has become commonplace for discussions concerning contemporary art to pivot around the discourse on globalisation and the related potential, or reality, of a global contemporary art world. It seems to me that much of this thinking has to do with our recent emphasis on off-centering the art world; doing away with the once-prevailing myth that it is, or has been, centered in one

hemispheric region and represented by cities such as New York or Paris. Indeed, we are witnessing something of a global cultural revolution, where talk of the marginal or peripheral now seems trite. Some oft-cited indications of this restructuring vis--vis the art world, includes the proliferation of international biennials and art fairs, the diversification and reorganization of museum

collections, the radical altering of art historical canons and the emergence of new art markets. Enabling these structures are interesting forms of dialogue both within the configuration of artworks themselves, and also through their presentation that are indicative of our contemporary condition. What follows are some thoughts on these forms of dialogue. Whenever I think about the dialogical impulses at work in the structures of artworks, I immediately think of the work of Felix Gonzalez-Torres and his ability to subtly manipulate common objects to highlight their aesthetic appeal and poetic potential. His Untitled (Perfect Lovers), 1987-1991 is a pair of

store-bought clocks each measuring 14 inches in diameter, and mounted sideby-side with their frames touching. It is among my favorite works of art, and yet the more I contemplate it, the more suspicious of its beauty I become. My way into this work was personal first and then political, but I always considered the ways in which the work is in dialogue with itself. Both clocks, literally, tick together; they tell the same time. This gesture, nicely betrays the reality that we live in a world of clocks, of different time zones, where dialogue is dependent, to some degree, on a coterie of factors such as time, space and language. The sameness of Perfect Lovers also resonates with me as an American in

Nigeria, how does one tick the same in two separate spaces? I often wonder if Torres, as a Cuban living in America, considered these notions of the self when conceptualizing the work. Three years ago, the London-based artist Katie Paterson had an exhibition that provided viewers with the mobile number, 077 58 225698. By calling the number, viewers were connected to a rapidly melting glacier known as Vatnajokull, the largest glacier in Europe. In actualizing the work, the artist installed a waterproof microphone into a lagoon so that callers could listen to the decaying glacier imagine sounds of ice debris splashing into water. The glacier was only able to talk to one caller at

a time. I enjoy immensely the thought of this work, particularly the way that it disrupts the dialogical expectations of communication by alienating the caller/ participant. The works global and environmental implications are obvious, but there is also something quite distressing about the works dialogue of the death sentiment. It is such sentiments that drive my current interests in artworks that are at once really subtle but also overwhelming aggressive; in mind is work by artists like Doug Wheeler, Kara Walker and Safaa Erraus. I never saw (or heard) Patersons work, and thus I am indebted to the artist Carrie Schneider for bringing it to my attention during a recent conversation.

CCA,Lagos / Newsletter issue No.8 / January - April 2010

CCA,Lagos / Newsletter issue No.8 / January - April 2010

Wedge Curatorial Projects

Canadian photography collector Dr. Kenneth Montague
1 Malick Sidib, Portrait of Kenneth Montague, 2007. Courtesy of Dr Kenneth Montague / The Wedge Collection. 2 Dawit Petros, Proposition 1: Mountain, 2007. Courtesy of Alexander Gray Associates, New York and Dr Kenneth Montague / The Wedge Collection. 3 Brendan Fernandes, Primal Scream V, 2009. Courtesy of Dr Kenneth Montague / The Wedge Collection.

City Focus: Accra

Bisi Silva
Over the years Ghana has earned the reputation for not having much going for it in terms of contemporary art. In terms of visibility the recurring names seem to barely go beyond Koffi Setordji, Ablade Glover, Atta Kwami and Ato Delaquis. On several visits to the city - personally and professionally I have not found it easy to get a feel of the pulse of the art scene in Accra the capital city where most of the art activities take place. The last two curatorial visits over the past five years yielded little. I visited Accra at the end of December 09 and didnt expect to do much art related interaction aside from visiting the much talked about Artists Alliance and the Nubuke Foundation.
The event was full of surprises that almost 30 people turned up, that they were surprised at the political and social nature of CCA,Lagos exhibition programme and my surprise that few if any Ghanaian artists touched on political issues. There was also a huge interest in curatorial practice especially the professional development aspect of CCA,Lagos. The FCA was set up in 2004 and runs from a small office at the W.E B. Dubois Centre, Accra where it also houses a growing reference library. They have a strong art in public programme as well as a mentorship programme targeting children. They work in collaboration with other spaces to organise exhibitions throughout the year. Founded by the late Prof Joe Nkrumah, it is now run by two young and dynamic artists in their early thirties Adwoa Amoah and Ato Annan. FCA is developing the future skills and knowledge base that should act as a catalyst for a vibrant future. And it does seem as if a new generation is positioning itself with an interest in and the realisation that they have to gain curatorial experience alongside their artistic practice. My next visit was to the Dei Centre where I was met by about 3-4 young fellows (interns) who took me the inaugural exhibition Nsoroma featuring portraits of late Professor Joseph Nkrumah an internationally renowned conservator and curator. The exhibition features the work of established Ghanaians such as Kofi Dawson, Ato Delaquis, Benjamin Offei-Nyako, Glen Turner, Rikki Wemega-Kwawu, Wisdom E. Kudowor, Larry Otoo, as well know expatriates such as El Anatsui, Senam Okudzeto, Godfried Donkor and other artists such as Lyle Ashton Harris (US), Virgina Ryan (IT), Samuel Olou (Togo) and Akirash (Nig). Also included are a younger generation of Ghanaian artists such as Kofi Adjei, Adwoa Amoah, Tei Mensah Huage, Kwabena Antwi-Danso, Irene Oppong- Peprah, and Michael T Sowah. The exhibition presented a diversity of media photography, video, painting, mixed media and installation. It is obvious there is a lot of art activity going on in Accra and in other major cities of the country. The strategy of collaborating with expatriate and diasporean artists will go a long way in regenerating the art scene and encouraging a continuous flow of ideas. Dei Centres point of departure is the art belonging to one of Ghanas largest art collectors Seth Dei. The centre is a collaboration between the Dei Foundation and New York Universitys Africa House based in Accra. With internationally renowned American Artist Lyle Ashton Harris as director and with his team of enthusiastic young fellows, the possibilities are immense. My final stop was at the Nubuke Foundation www.nubukefoundation.org set up by art and cultural enthusiast and art patron Odile Ogare. Housed in a large, beautifully renovated bungalow surrounded by a large garden, the Foundation is a perfect refuge for artistic contemplation away from the bustle of the city. Nubuke states its mission is to capture, record and promote our history and culture for future generations. This Foundation will collect, collate and display our heritage, promote and help develop contemporary art and, lastly, leverage our history to encourage interest, especially for the benefit of future generations. They have an ecletic exhibition programme that varies from experimental art by young artists, to historical exhibitions about Ghana to history of textile cloth from Upper Volta which was on view when I visited. As in Nigeria many of these spaces are the initiatives of individuals who are committed and passionate about art and culture. In the absence of public funding they are dipping deep into their pockets and their time to put Ghana on the African and global cultural map. Dont touch that dial.

Since 1997, Torontos Wedge Gallery (now known simply as Wedge) has presented annual solo exhibitions, premiering some of the worlds most acclaimed photographers such as James VanDerZee, Tony Gleaton and Seydou Keta, whose dynamic and innovative imagery capture the beauty and grandeur of African cultural and artistic heritage. These images provide vivid testimony to the existences and ideas of their creators as well as their subjects, exploring the complex diversity of people of the African diaspora at key historic moments. The works are linked by the impetus to represent, remap and reinvent contemporary black subjectivity in order to detach itself from fixed inscriptions and provide new positions and ways of seeing through the photographic image. Revealing the unexpected realities of the contemporary world through a shared creativity is what drives Wedge and its director and curator, Kenneth Montague. Montagues vision is evidenced by the work he has collected for many years an impressive range of photographic portraits by Canadian and international artists taken in varied contexts and styles, from archival, documentary and studio portraits to street photography and conceptually staged tableux. At the centre of this unique curatorial project is a specific and assertive impetus towards cultural affirmation inserting a diasporic African presence in the contemporary Canadian arts landscape through the ambiguously charged relationship between the black body and the photographic lens.
Pamela Edmonds, from Prefix Photo 13, Volume 7, Number 1

Beyond Lagos
International Upcoming Events
27 January 16 May 2010

Chris Ofili: Tate Britain, London

Chris Ofilis intensely coloured and intricately ornamented paintings are on show at Tate Britain in a major survey of the artists career that brings together over 45 paintings, as well as pencil drawings and watercolours from the mid 1990s to today. One of the most acclaimed British painters of his generation, Ofili won the Turner Prize in 1998 and represented Great Britain at the 50th Venice Biennale in 2003. Tate Britain

Afro Modern: Journey through the Black Atlantic Tate Liverpool, Liverpool UK
29 January 25 April 2010
Afro Modern: Journeys through the Black Atlantic explores the impact of different black cultures from around the Atlantic on art from the early twentieth-century to today. The exhibition takes its inspiration from Paul Gilroys influential book The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness 1993. It features over 140 works by more than 60 artists. Tate Liverpool

Conversation Pieces

ngela Ferreira Michael Stevenson Gallery, Cape Town

11 March - 17 April 2010
For this exhibition, Ferreira has conceived a new work, which takes as its starting point the Werdmuller Centre in Claremont, designed by Roelof Uytenbogaardt and completed in 1976. Ferreira notes that the conception, and failure, of this controversial building provokes many searing questions about modernism and the use of this international language in Africa, as well as the profound impact of apartheid on the functioning of the modernist aesthetic in South Africa. The exhibit will be the result of an investigative process and inquiry into the building and will comprise a large-scale sculptural work as well as photos, collages, drawings and text. Also on view will be two video works. Michael Stevenson Gallery

The following is an excerpt from a recent interview between Dr Montague and Wedge Collection artist Brendan Fernandes (born in Kenya, raised in Canada, and now living in New York). Brendans emerging art practice explores his hybrid identity through complex works about communication and performance, authenticity and display.

Kenneth Montague:

William Kentridge: Five Themes The Museum of Modern Art, New York
24 February 17 May 2010
combines the political with the poetic. Dealing with subjects as sobering as apartheid, colonialism, and totalitarianism, his work is often imbued with dreamy, lyrical undertones or comedic bits of self-deprecation that render his powerful messages both alluring and ambivalent. This exhibition explores five primary themes in Kentridges art from the 1980s to the present, and underscores the inter-relatedness of his mediums and disciplines, particularly through a selection of works from the Museums collection. MOMA

I wanted to begin with a quote from a new book, Contemporary African Art Since 1980 by Okwui Enwezor and Chika Okeke-Agulu. I picked up the book at the Muse du Quai Branly (Paris) on the way back from the 8th Bamako Encounters African Photography Biennial in November 2009. The book had just come out and I found it interesting as a collector to see how the writers organized the work. There was something that really made me think of your art practice, Brendan, and it was the chapter on hybrid machines: the human and the animal. The artists that they discussed fuse human and animal forms in their practice and I immediately thought of your work. I wanted to ask you where you see yourself are you a part of this movement around hybridity found in contemporary African art? Does your work fit into this?

In a sense, this is how I consider my identity it is always ambiguous, always changing, and always in flux.

KM: Its also interesting that the deer

is the North American

This large-scale exhibition surveys nearly three decades of work by William Kentridge (b. 1955, South Africa), a remarkably versatile artist whose work

BF: white tailed deer KM: and the mask obviously comes
from Africa a fusion of different places and the mask as well is specifically a mens Maasai mask but it has become such a typical mask now in the souvenir industry, which makes it just a trope you can find these masks anywhere. I actually have a collection of them that Ive bought at garage sales in London Ontario when I was living there. Ive also got some from Kenya just a very typical mask and so thats what I use as the basis for this work. I guess the other thing about hybridity in my work is that these objects have become consumer objects I think about hybridity in terms of capitalism and consumer culture being something in line with humans who are producing for this sort of market industry, which also markets and constructs the idea of how we consider and view African culture with regards to it still being seen as exotic or unknown. In a sense, the tourism industry wants to perpetuate this because it needs that mystery to entice and create an appeal for its audiences. The Tourist is something that I also often question in my work, this idea of the tourist, which again is a place of hybridity for me as, since leaving Kenya, I have questioned

Brendan Fernandes:

Aubrey Williams: Now and Coming Time October Gallery London, Walker Art Gallery, National Museums Liverpool
04 February03 April 2010
Born, in 1926, in Georgetown, Guyana, Aubrey Williams remains one of the great enigmas of twentieth-century painting. He can be seen as a colossus, bestriding the Atlantic, with feet firmly planted in two very different worlds. Yet his brilliant career remains unknown to many, unacknowledged by all but the most insightful of art critics and art historians. His work will be featured in two major exhibitions, in two different cities. October Gallery, London and Walker Art Gallery, National Museums Liverpool, have joined forces to produce two linked and overlapping solo exhibitions of Williams work together with the publication of a new catalogue providing fresh insights into one of the twentieth centurys great. October Gallery

I think that it definitely fits into this concept of hybridity in the way in which I look at myself as being born in Kenya, so a Kenyan, but one who is of Indian heritage, one who now lives between Canada and the US. I always posit the idea of me being all of these not just one of them. That, in a sense, is my idea of hybridity. In my work, I use a lot of tropes of African culture I want to preface this reference to Africa culture by putting it into quotation marks, African Culture, because I deem it to still be this cultural monolith prescribed, and marginalized, by the media as being this place of the dark continent. With regards to hybridity and the animal and the human, I think right away of the work Neo Primitivism II where Ive taken the mask the faade of the face as a cultural object that is supposed to hide identity and then I place it on top of a deer decoy, which is a fake deer used to attract real deer so that they can be killed. When you place that mask, a reproduction of an authentic African object made in white plastic, on top of that deer, it creates a new hybrid creature. Almost like a diffusing of the human face placed on this quasi-animal and it makes a new ambiguous creature where youre not sure if its from the future or from the past.

my identity and what I have become now and how I might react back in that place. But also in this sense: what do I look toward when I think about Kenya I dont think about going to school, being picked up by my parents and taken to my piano lessons. Instead, I think about watching images of going on safari. When I came to Canada, I would watch these documentary films about Kenya this narrative that is given to North America that depicts stereotypical imagery of the exotic and primitive that perpetuate the

constructed space that is deemed Africa. These images are what I turned to and what became nostalgic for me. This is an excerpt from an interview between Dr Kenneth Montague and Wedge Collection artist Brendan Fernandes that took place on December 29th, 2009 in Toronto, conducted and transcribed by curator Emelie Chhangur of the Art Gallery of York University, in Canada. For the full conversation, please visit www.yorku.ca/agyu

Over 3 years ago, Ablade Glover took me to visit Artists Alliance which was still in the early stages of construction. At that stage, I had no inkling of the impressive structure the building was to become until I entered through the front door into the high ceiling sparkling white space which displayed the works of several artists interspersed with some coffin art. Apparently there are several interested potential buyers. Artists Alliance is on 3 floors and is run more like a commercial gallery/shop than contemporary visual art organisation. All of the works on display traditional, modern and contemporary are for sale and it would not be inappropriate to say that the building is bursting with art dominated by painting. Artists Alliance has been serving as an outlet for artists to show their works, sell the works and make a living from their art for decades. Ablade Glover is an artist and a prudent and successful cultural entrepreneur leaving behind an important infrastructural legacy built over a thirty year period that few of his contemporaries can match. Though cutting edge contemporary art is unlikely to be seen at Artists Alliance, they have nonetheless organised some important and noteworthy landmark exhibitions in the past two years. Of special mention are Pioneers of Contemporary Ghanaian Art featuring works loaned principally from local collectors which included rarely

seen works by pioneers such as Vincent Kofi, Oku Ampand more recently the exhibition At home and Abroad featuring the work of expatriate Ghanaian artists such as El Anatsui, George Hughes etc. A wonderful opportunity for local artists to see, interact and engage with some of these artists and their works. Both exhibitions are accompanied by substantial publications. I never finished visiting the entire centre as I met another artist there, Akwele Suma Glory who, until proven otherwise, I tend to tag the most prominent female artist I know in Ghana. Coming from a background in jewellery design, her foray into the visual arts though sporadic has created some interesting installation pieces. As we found a corner in the gallery to sit and catch up Prof. El Anatsui walks through door. What a great surprise! We exchanged greetings for five minutes before Prof. Ablade Glover walked in to take him on a tour of the building. I opt out to catch up with Glory who subsequently invites me to give an informal presentation about CCA,Lagos to a group of artists on the 31st of December at the Foundation for Contemporary Art, Accra. My curiosity to meet more artists in Accra clinched the deal at such short notice and on the last day of what had been an exhausting year.

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Africa Now: Contemporary African Art Bonhams, New York

10 March 2010
The sale will included the very best of post-war and contemporary art from across the African continent in various media including painting, sculpture, and drawing. Of particular interest are works by artists including El Anatsui, Marlene Dumas, Jimoh Buraimoh, William Kentridge, Romauld Hazoum, Ben Enwonwu, Georges Lilanga, Dumile Feni and Bruce Onobrakepeya, Cheri Samba, David Goldblatt, Zwelethu Mthethwa, and Guy Tillim among many others. Bonhams
1 William Kentridge. Drawing from Stereoscope 199899. Charcoal, pastel, and colored pencil on paper, 47 1/4 x 63 (120 x 160 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

2 1 Artists Alliance. 2 Dei Centre. 3 Nubuke Foundation 1. 4 Nubuke Foundation 2.

CCA,Lagos / Newsletter issue No.8 / January - April 2010

CCA,Lagos / Newsletter issue No.8 / January - April 2010

Art, Fashion & Identity

1 2

Storehouse of Infinity
Teju Cole
I received my first degree at a small liberal arts college in the American midwest. The real work of surviving those years took place in the dorm; that was where I did my all-nighters, watching the clock hands slowly dizzy themselves as I struggled through each days assigned readings, notes and problem sets. In the dorm room, my table lit with the single bulb of a goose-necked lamp; I was all focus and clarity. I confronted the given tasks, and, precisely because of the spartan conditions, did what had to be done.
I studied in my room because I couldnt do so in the college library. It was a smallish library by American university standards; contained only half a million volumes. The main reading room, walled in by plate glass, and dominated by broad, gleaming, honey-coloured tables, was like a continuation of the quietness of the campus. There was something monastic about the college itself, with its brick cloisters and well-kept lawns. The library, more than the school chapel, was the center of that quietness: a long, low building through which librarians flitted like nuns. I loved it, and would spend hours there every week. I discovered that the real purpose of the library was to distract me and educate me in matters unconnected to what I was studying in class. The college library contained much more than books, and I almost always went in with no clear plan in mind. There were compact discs, video cassettes, laser discs, newspapers, academic journals and all kinds of magazines. Sometimes, I read the Paris Review, Transition, and Granta. At other times, it was the Daily Times (which was always a month or so out of date by the time the library received it). Occasionally, I sat at the listening booths and listened to classical, jazz or world music, or went into the little viewing rooms in the basement to watch films Id never heard of in languages I couldnt understand. I became adept at reading subtitles, and fell in love with Kieslowski and Malle. One chilly evening, I watched The Dead, John Hustons final film, in one of those little darkened booths in the library basement. It was a gentle and humane cinematic version of James Joyces long story of the same name. The film ended, as Joyces story does: with an epiphany experienced by Gabriel Conroy as he looks out of his window into the Dublin street at the snow falling faintly and faintly falling all over Ireland. That night, I recall, I came out of the library just after sunset and discovered that it had begun snowing while I was inside. It was the years first snow. Already, it had covered the grounds, and more of the white flakes were floating out of the sky. I felt myself swept up in an epiphany like Conroys. It was as though the snow had spilled out of the tiny television set in the basement. The peculiar power of libraries, whether they be municipal collections, national book depositories, or study collections appended to major museums, comes from their being ordered spaces. They are not like Borges fictional Library of Babel, which contains all possible books arranged at random in an incomprehensible infinity. Real libraries contain only a few, easilysearchable books: even the New York Public Librarys twenty million volumes are still considerably fewer than infinity. What is infinite is the satisfaction they promise, the possibilities kept in trust on behalf of the intellect. I feel lucky to have known many grand libraries, but the one that excites me most at the moment is a small one right here in Lagos. The Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA) is on McEwen Street in Sabo, not far from the roundabout where Herbert Macauleys statue stands. On the top floor of the centre is a library. This collection of books, magazines and videos, set in a cosy air-conditioned room, among comfortable tables and chairs, is open to the public. It is an oasis in the middle of Lagos. You walk in, your breathing becomes more regular, the stresses of the outside world fall away. I think of a good library as being similar to a permanent exhibition. Even small libraries, like the one at the CCA, typically

contain more books and more deeply specialised knowledge than any of us can afford in our own homes. Books are in themselves works of art, and to revisit a library is to deepen a relationship with particular works. At a certain point, on a certain shelf, you know you will encounter a certain book. On each visit, there are new books to be discovered, but more importantly there are those books that have been discovered before. Theres an odd comfort in knowing theyll be there, waiting like old friends. It inspires me to know that, if I set aside the time, I can head to Sabo and spend time with Okwui Enwezors The Short Century: Independence and Liberation Movements in Africa 1945-1994, or with Glendora Books Lagos: A City at Work. I can read John Berger, Susan Sontag and Roland Barthes. I can learn more about the African-American sculptor Martin Puryear or see the work of the Malagasy photographer Pierrot Men for the first time. Theres the gratitude in discovering volumes like Emeka Okerekes Unspoken Hero, a book of photographs about his uncle. Kennedy Chukwuemeka Okereke was a 36 year old physician who died around the time his nephew Emeka, a member of the collective Depth of Field, was making a photographic essay about him. Emeka Okereke included photos of the wake and burial in the eventual essay. This small, finely-bound volume, more moving because it is of such limited scope, wouldnt have come to my attention had I never visited the CCAs library. The curator of the CCA, Bisi Silva, recently told me that the biggest challenge faced by the library isnt funding or space or materials. It is that people dont visit the library, or take advantage of its facilities. Each time Ive visited, I have found the library virtually empty, and though I take some pleasure in having the place to myself, I think it would be much better if more people made use of it. Annual subscription fees begin at N5000, and there are day memberships as well. For everyone interested in contemporary art, photography, film or the humanities, this is a small investment in something that can increase ones knowledge ten-fold. Equally importantly, it can be a place of repose from the relentlessness of the city. In my view,

there are simply too many artists and creative-minded people in Lagos for the CCA library to be lying fallow. We need this library, and this library needs us. It is small in size, but stores a kind of infinity on our behalf, and I can only hope that on my next visit I will see many more people in it. Perhaps, on that next visit, someone would even

have taken my favourite volumes off the shelf, compelling me to seek out new favourites. This text was first published in 234Next on December 12, 2009. It is reprinted here with the permission of its author.
1 The Short Century ed. by Okwui Enwezor. [Prestel, 2001].

The Library The Library

Benefits of Membership include:
Priority access to the library. Newsletter subscription. Invitations to exhibition openings. Invitation to CCA,Lagos events. Receipt of regular information by email and mail. Purchase privileges of a publication needed for research (subject to approval). Invite to members-day activities. Meetings with curators, artists and other visiting local African and international cultural Practitioners. Discount on CCA,Lagos publications (not brochures). Discount or free access to talks and seminars. Portfolio review subject to appointment with visiting curators, writers and critics.

Book Review: Contemporary African Art Since 1980

Petra Szilagyi

1 Jacket and denim pants by U.Mi-1. 2 Jumper and denim pants by U.Mi-1 Images U.Mi-1. 3 Jewelry by Richardson Ovbiebo. Courtesy the Artist. 4 Richardson Ovbiebo. Is This a Shoe?, 2009. Mild Steel. Courtesy the Artist.

In anticipation of CCA,Lagos upcoming focus on Art, Fashion and Identity, we invited the fashion designer Gozi Ochonogor and artist Richardson Ovbiebo to present images from their recent collaboration.
The collaboration came about when Richardson presented his works during Pecha Kucha Night Vol. 1 in Lagos, which Ochonogor hosted. There she fell in love with Ovbiebos Is This A Shoe, 2009 and subsequently invited the artist to design some sculptural jewelry pieces for her recent exhibition/fashion show in Lagos. Gozi Ochonogor is creative director for the fashion-as-art brand U.Mi-1, a Japan based fashion label, which collaborates with home grown artists. Richardson Ovbiebo is a Lagos-based artist who works primarily in sculpture and installation.

Membership Levels Within Lagos (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6)

1] Full Members.......... N15,000 per year 2] Student. ......................N5,000 per year (I.D card required)

Casual Daily Rates

5] Nigerian Resident & ECOWAS Citizen. ............................N1,000 per day 6] Non-ECOWAS Citizens................ N2,000 per day

Preeminent art scholars Okwui Enwezor and Chika OkekeAgulu published Contemporary African Art Since 1980 this September, 2009 to much anticipation from those interested in the field. The large size of the 368 page book and its dark cover featuring Yinka Shonibares The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters, announce the book as an authority on the subject at hand: contemporary African art. Inside, the book is divided into two parts, a series of essays followed by 300 pages of vivid high quality images, 470 plates in total, with an added appendix.
the difficulties Western curators have had conceptualizing African art from its traditional roots to today (Does it go in the African or contemporary art section? Is it craft or art?) They often reach the very post-modern assessment that contemporary African art is nothing and it is everything: post-modern, post-colonial, post-ethnic and yet very concerned with modernity, colonialism and ethnic identity. The book emphasizes the central theme of decolonization in artists work as a unifying factor. The text suggests a multiplicity of cultural spaces, and between the images a diverse and complicated array of connections and networks are implied in the arrangement, yet the authors chose not to provide the specifics. There is some dialogue about common themes in the text, mostly regarding curatorial and categorical practices, but after the text concludes, the ensuing pages of images are largely left to speak for themselves. As one who doesnt like to be told too much about what Im looking, at this is a blessing. However, the nagging archivist in me would like more information about the artists themselves; small bios certainly would have been helpful, or at least some indication of where the artists come from and practice. All in all it is a beautiful book, and the most recent in a growing field that it continuing to garner attention internationally. It is a satisfying introduction to those looking for a brief and colorful overview of the world of contemporary African art and it is sure to pique the interest of those who have had limited exposure to the field. The more seasoned African art aficionados may be wary of the somewhat institutionalizing nature of the text and predictable selection of artists, but will no doubt enjoy looking through the pages of works, which are astonishing in quality and sheer quantity. Be sure to look for the shout-out to the CCA,Lagos in the introduction! Petra Szilagyi is an intern at CCA,Lagos, and undergraduate student at Williams College, Massachusetts, US.
Contemporary African Art Since 1980 by Okwui Enwezor and Chika Okeke-Agulu. [Damiani, 2009].

Food For Thought: An African View of Art

Ben Enwonwu
The following text was initially published in the catalog accompanying the Second World Black Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC), which took place in Lagos, Nigeria in 1977. It is one the largest cultural events ever to take place on the African continent with more the 17,000 participants from more than fifty countries. The text is reprinted here, as food for thought, with the intention of inspiring critical reflection on the history of art in Africa.
become the currency of aesthetic evaluation of works of African art, must now be reconsidered in the light of the present Africa view. These clichs, together with the influences that exert on the critical mind, should now be regarded as part and parcel of the evangelical, educational, social, economic, and even the political chapters of the colonial past; because art in present-day Africa is seeking a new role, and this role that must be given to it by the Africans themselves will determine the form that it should take as the mirror of the aspirations of independent African peoples. Art is not static. Like culture, art changes its form with the times. It is setting the clock back to expect that the art-form of Africa today, must resemble that of yesterday, otherwise the former will not reflect the African image. But it now appears that the young African painter and sculptor distorts his work deliberately so as to achieve Africaness, or else, that if he does not do so, his work will be imitative of European art. The craftsman artist on the other hand struggles between reality only with what he possesses of the old technique. This situation represents the psychological effects of colonialism. It has no African directive. In the passing African social context, the African view of his art was a view, which was identified with other aspects of African life. It was not an objective or an analytical view of art. The first time that we Africans received the word art as applied to creative imagery of out ancestors, was at the beginning of European colonization of the African continent. The word has its limitations when defined, to mean the same sense as for instance, the Ibo word nka. Art is defined in the English dictionary as human skill as opposed to nature; skillful execution of an object in itself; skill applied to imitation and the design as in painting etc.; think in which skill may be exercised; certain branches of learning serving as intellectual instruments for more advanced studies as Bachelor, Master of Arts, one who has obtained a standard of proficiency in these; black magic, practical application of any sciences; industrial pursuit, craft, guild; company of craftsmen; finesse, those in which the mind and imagination are chiefly concerned; knack; cunning; stratagem. Art so defined, provides divergent meanings none of which is the same thing as the word nka. Nka may be understood to mean making: of which doing; the making of; doing; of a particular kind; the object of which is specifically artistic; and making; is personified, i.e., the professional of nka; and so particularized; the object of nka is specific, and so does not refer to any other kind of making, or doing; it is strictly art, only by professional competence; again, nka bears a traditional significance as an art handed down from generation to generation - thus it is inheritable of family or even village groups such as in the known case of Benin; nka does not mean human skill as opposed to nature, but does imply identification with the nature of doing, or of image. Art is subjective and therefore infinite. Nka is an objectification of image more through the senses than through cunning of hand. Such definitions of art as the art of running, swimming, black magic, of photography, stratagem, or as the art of doing anything do not refer to nka. The prefix ome further explains the identification of a second person, i.e. ome-nka - he is the maker of nka. Both the maker of, and the art of what is being made. Nka, strictly speaking, has traditional and religious associations. Thus the field of so-called African art is really the realm of the ancestral world of images so confined as it were to creativity in a spiritual sense. In terms of reference then, African art is not really art in the Western context, but an invocation of ancestral spirits through giving concrete form or body to them before they can enter into the human world. The Ben Enwonwu Foundation, Lagos, Nigeria. Reprinted with permission. Photo: Courtesy the Ben Enwonwu Foundation, Lagos, Nigeria.

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Frequently asked questions:

Where is CCA,Lagos Library?
CCA,Lagos library is centrally located on the mainland. We are 5mins from the foot of the 3rd Mainland Bridge and 10mins from Ikorodu Road when you turn onto Herbert Macaulay Street. We are about 5mins from the Alagomeji junction. Use the Domino Diner as your point of reference. The library is located on the 4th floor of 9 McEwen Street.

Can we order books from you?

No, we do not sell or order books on behalf of our members. However, members can request books to be ordered for the library these requests are subject to approval and available funding. We are looking into the possibility of partnership with one of the premier bookshops in the country to provide an appropriate book ordering service to our members.

When is the library open?

Do you have only art books?

We are open from 10am to 6pm Tuesday to Saturday. The library is not open to the public on Mondays, Sundays and on public holidays.

While the majority of our books are focus on art, art history and critical theory, we do have a limited selection of books dedicated to architecture, fashion, textiles, design, and other related cultural areas. New books are constantly being added to our collection so do frequent the library to discover our recent arrivals.

As an artist, I was delighted by the book. I can spend hours perusing the pages, looking at beautiful images of highly experimental works created by African artists currently working in the field. This selection of contemporary African art is bold and transgressive, from the ethereal to the somber to the abject. The art works vary in media from sculpture, installation, digital imagery, video and photography to painting and illustrations. The colors are as shocking and complex as a West African textile, literally in the case of Shonibare, yet the themes incorporate the white gallery walls, electronics, manipulated bodies and expressions of dejection and apathy I am accustomed to seeing when I walk into a gallery in the States. In fact, most artists in the book have shown in major contemporary art museums and publications over the past 10 years, artists such as Chris Ofili, Marlene Dumas, William Kentridge, Yinka Shonibare, Ghada Amer, El Anatsui and Candice Breitz. There were few artists whose practice I had not encountered State-side. The forty pages of text that preceded the images provided an insight to theoretical haze that surrounds Contemporary African Art as a concept, namely is it a style, a place or a period? To very briefly summarize their conclusion it is all three. Although they go into some depth regarding the contentious attitudes toward African art throughout the twentieth century, its alleged demise with the introduction of modernism and

Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos 9 McEwen Street, Sabo, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria. T:+234 702 836 7106 E: info@ccalagos.org W: www.ccalagos.org

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The role of art in African society is an important one for all who are concerned with the advancement of African culture, African thought and the African personality. It should also concern the present generation of Africans whether they are interested in art for arts sake or not. In fact, no emergent African state today can afford to ignore the urgent role of art. We march towards renaissance. For the art of Africa is no longer looked upon as fetish, as it had been during the early days of European exploration

of the continent; it is no longer treated with the patronizing attitude that was the case when the first missionaries, anthropologists, and travelers collected old pieces of objets dart and mixed them up with what was genuine; nor does African art only enjoy the reputation of its influence as a result of its historical impact upon modern art. The terms African negro art, African traditional art, primitive art, tribal art, and all such aesthetic clichs which have

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CCA,Lagos / Newsletter issue No.8 / January - April 2010

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CCA,Lagos / Newsletter issue No.8 / January - April 2010

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Images from the Archives

Portfolio review by TT Fons and Kola Fayemi at the 9th Lagos Book and Art Fair. Bisi Silva, Oliver Enwonwu, Sokari Douglas-Camp and Oyinda Fakeye at CCA,Lagos booth at the 2nd Joburg Art Fair.

Brendan Wattenberg, of the Museum for African Art, NYC, visits the library.

Grange School Visit.

Didier Schuab gives a lecture at CCA,Lagos.

Like A Virgin Installation by Lucy Azubuike.

Identity An Imagined State.

Jude Anogwih and Oyinda Fakeye.

18 Books
1 Emeka Okereke: Unspoken Hero
by Emeka Okereke [Africultures, 2007]

Monna Mokena Art-iculate talk.

Lucy Azubuikes Trees series, Like A Virgin Exhibition. Miguel Petchkovsy, Uchay Chima Joel, El Anatsui, Jude Anogwih, Bisi Silva, Jelili Atiku and Estaquio Neves.

We Love!
7 50 Photographers You Should Know
by Peter Stepan [Prestel, 2008]

14 Birth of the Cool

1st Art-iculate Talk.

2 Seven Days in the Art World

by Sarah Thornton [W.W. Norton, 2008]

8 Exiles, Diasporas & Strangers

by Kobena Mercer et al [INIVA/MIT Press, 2008]

by Barkley L Hendricks; Trevor Schoonmaker; Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. [Nasher Museum of Art, Duke University Press, 2008]

3 Brief History of Curating

by Hans-Ulrich Obrist [Zurich : JRP / Ringier ; Dijon : Les Presses du rel, 2008.]

9 Hello, My Name is Jens Haaning

by Jens Haaning, et al [les Presses du rel, 2003]

15 Between Past and Future: New Photography and Video from China
by Wu Hung, et al [Thames & Hudson, 2004]

Like A Virgin. The World is Flat launch.

4 Critical Focus: Photography in the International Image Community 5 Perform

16 Meryem Maria

by A D Coleman [Nazraeli, 1995]

10 NKA: Journal of Contemporary African Art #24

[NKA Publications 2009]

by Pinar Yolaan, et al [Yap Kredi Kltr Sanat Yaynclk, 2008]

by Jens Hoffmann; Joan Jonas [Thames and Hudson, 2005]

11 Encounters of Bamako 2009 12 Robert Gober: The Meat Wagon

17 Marlene Dumas: Measuring Your Own Grave

[Cultures France ditions, 2009]

6 All Images of an Anonymous Person

Member of the audience at the Picha exhibition launch.

by Marlene Dumas; Cornelia H Butler et al. [LACMA, 2008]

by Miriam Bckstrm; Carsten Hller [Moderna Museet, 2005]

by Matthew Drutt; Robert Gober; Menil Collection (Houston, Tex.) [Menil Foundation, 2006]

18 Anthology of African and Indian Ocean Photography

by Pascal Martin Saint Lon [Paris : Revue noire, 1999.]

13 Anja Franke: Installations

by Anja Franke; Sanne Kofod Olsen; Mikkel Bogh [Pork Salad Press, 2007]

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CCA,Lagos / Newsletter issue No.8 / January - April 2010