A Black History of Art Presents: A Shared Gaze

This episode is a live recording of a panel discussion which interrogated the position of so-called “Black Figuration” – in other words, work by Black artists which portrays Black figures – today. Alayo Akinkugbe is joined by writer John Baptiste Oduor, artist Anya Paintsil and curator, educator, writer and director of La Foundation for the Arts (LAFA), Chantel Akworkor Thompson. The discussion was held at Opera gallery in June 2024, in connection with an exhibition Alayo curated there, called ‘The Whole World Smiles With You’. 

Keep up with us:
@lafa_foundation
LAFA
John Baptiste Oduor
@anyapaintsil
@ablackhistoryofart
Opera Gallery

A conversation with Kenturah Davis, an American artist who splits her time between California and Accra, Ghana. Kenturah’s work explores an interplay of portraiture and design and spans drawing, textile, sculpture, and performance. 

On the occasion of her exhibition ‘clouds’ at Stephen Friedman Gallery, London, Kenturah speaks to me about her exploration of shadows and metaphysics, her desire to create works of art that encompass the viewer the way that music encompasses a listener, and some of the figures who have been inspiring her work lately: choreographer Katherine Dunham, composer Florence B. Price, theorist Saidiya Hartman, author Toni Morrison, and physicist Carlo Rovelli.

‘Clouds’ was on at Stephen Friedman Gallery from 31 May to 20 July 2024. See installation shots of the exhibition here.

Keep up with us:

Kenturah Davis: @kenturah 

Alayo Akinkugbe: @ablackhistoryofart @alayoakinkugbe

A conversation with Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama whose installations address themes of labour, circulation of goods and globalisation, and whose practice is charactarised by the use of materials collected from urban environments, which he manipulates and transforms in collaboration with communities in Ghana.
 
On the occasion of his permanent site-specific installation at Palazzo Diedo in Venice Three Little Birds, and his exhibition If These Are The Things at APALAZZOGALLERY in Brescia, Ibrahim speaks to Alayo from within If These Are The Things about his childhood and experience of art education in Ghana, taking influence from everywhere and the three institutions he has established in Northern Ghana: The Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art, a museum space run by artists and curators, the vast studio complex, Red Clay which comprises exhibition spaces, research facilities and a residency, and Nkrumah Volini, an educational institution.

Janus the inaugural exhibition at Palazzo Diedo in Venice, is open until 24th November 2024. 

IF THESE ARE THE THINGS is open at APALAZZOGALLERY in Brescia until 22nd September 2024.

Keep up with us:

Ibrahim: @ibrahimmahama3

Alayo: @ablackhistoryofart @alayoakinkugbe

A conversation with pioneering Ghanaian-born British artist, John Akomfrah on the occasion of his commission for the British Pavilion, at the 60th Venice Biennale. Akomfrah discusses early childhood memories in both Ghana and the UK, his love of filmmaking as a medium, and his experience with national representation at the Venice Biennale, having been part of the Ghanaian pavilion in 2015, and now being the sole artist to represent Britain in 2024. This episode also features a conversation with the brilliant curator of Listening All Night to The Rain, Tarini Malik.

This episode was recorded at the British Pavilion in Venice, at the 60th Biennale of Art – which is often dubbed the “Olympics of the art world”. Several countries have pavilions which are transformed by artists who have been selected, by various powers that be, to represent their nation. Some of these pavilions are in the Giardini – Gardens – of the Biennale, and have long histories of involvement with the event, while others exist outside of this space – in buildings throughout the city, or in the Arsenale, a nearby location which also hosts national pavilions and collateral exhibitions. 

The British Council commission Listening All Night To The Rain at the 60th Venice Biennale runs from Saturday 20 April to Sunday 24 November 2024. If you are not able to visit Venice, the exhibition will be travelling to locations in the UK afterwards.

Thank you to the British Council for taking me to Venice, and to Tarini and John for their generous insights.

A conversation with artist Woody de Othello, whose practice spans sculpture, painting and drawing. Woody’s first UK solo exhibition, 'Faith Like a Rock ' is on until the 13th of April 2024 at Stephen Friedman Gallery, London. Woody recreates everyday, inanimate objects and transforms them into humanoid characters which elicit different emotions. The exhibition unfolds as an immersive mise-en-scène, with ceramic sculptures, paintings and drawings inhabiting each room. In this conversation, Woody speaks to Alayo from Stephen Friedman Gallery about the spiritual connection he has felt to clay since first working with it in art school, his love of pen drawing since his childhood, and his musical influences, who include composer Julius Eastman (1940-1990) and Jazz musician and composer, Alice Coltrane (1937-2007).

This episode marks the finale of the first season of A Shared Gaze. THANK YOU, TO OUR LISTENERS AND GUESTS FOR YOUR SUPPORT <3

Keep up with us:

Woody: @woodyothello

Alayo: @ablackhistoryofart @alayoakinkugbe

Faith Like A Rock by Woody De Othello is on  at Stephen Friedman Gallery (5-6 Cork Street, London) until 13th April 2024.

A conversation with Gideon Appah, a Ghanaian artist who draws on childhood memories, mythology and west African landscapes. 

This conversation was recorded on the 24th of March 2023. Our discussion centres on specific paintings in his first UK solo exhibition with Pace gallery, London in 2023 titled How to Say Sorry in a Thousand Lights. In this conversation, Gideon speaks to Alayo about his childhood and studies in Accra, the influences he takes from West African cinema and music videos, and his unique technique of painting with oils and acrylics. Gideon gives in-depth descriptions of the techniques he used to make specific paintings, there is a link to the installation images from How to Say Sorry in a Thousand Lights below – to guide your listening. Gideon’s solo exhibition, titled The Play of Thought is due to open at Pace Gallery, Seoul on the 20th of March, 2024.

'How to Say Sorry in a Thousand Lights' -- images from the exhibition linked here and here.

Keep up with us:
Gideon: @appah_gideon

Alayo: @ablackhistoryofart ; @alayoakinkugbe

A conversation with Ayo Akingbade, an artist, writer and director based in London. She has directed 17 short films, which include documentary, fiction and those that blur the lines between the two. In this conversation, Ayo speaks to Alayo about their shared heritage and similar names, growing up in Hackney, her love of fashion & textiles  and her exhibition ‘Show me the world Mister’, which is currently touring the UK. It was first shown at the Chisenhale Gallery, London and has travelled onto Spike Island, Bristol and John Hansard Gallery, Southampton. It is currently showing at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead and will go on to the Whitworth, Manchester. A book of the same name was published by Book Works and Chisenhale Gallery to accompany this exhibition – it includes diary entries, interviews and behind-the-scenes photographs of the production of two of Ayo’s films ‘The Fist’ and ‘Faluyi’. 

Influences mentioned by Ayo:

Artists/Filmmakers: Sade Adu, Meret Oppenheim, Anthea Hamilton, Chantal Akerman, Ed Ruscha, Agnes Varda, Ousmane Sembène, Eric Rohmer, Ellen Gallagher.

Films: ((French New Wave Cinema)), ‘Jules et Jim’ by François Truffaut, ‘Poor things’ by Yorgos Lanthimos, ‘La Chimera’ by Alice Rohrwacher, ‘All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt’ by Raven Jackson, ‘Living in Bondage’ by Chris Obi Rapu.

Keep up with us:

Ayo:  http://www.ayoakingbade.com/

Alayo: @ablackhistoryofart ; @alayoakinkugbe

A conversation with Na Chainkua Reindorf a Ghanaian artist who works across textile, painting, sculpture and installation. Her work is heavily influenced by the rich cultural history of West African, particularly Ghanaian, textiles, from the weaving traditions of Kente, to Fante Asafo flags and Yoruba masquerade dress (aka Egungun). Chainky has also garnered a  following on her carefully curated Instagram page, which consists of fashion she has worn and art she has seen, organised in an impressive colour gradient. In 2022, Chainky was one of 3 artists to represent Ghana at the Venice Biennale in the pavilion Black Star: The Museum as Freedom. In this conversation, Chainky speaks to Alayo from Puerto Rico about the extraordinary experience of representing Ghana in Venice, as well as her life and her broader practice.

Keep up with us on Instagram:

Chainky:

@chainkyr

@ncreindorf

Alayo:

@ablackhistoryofart

@alayoakinkugbe

A conversation with Isabel Okoro, a Nigerian photographer and filmmaker based between Toronto, Canada and Lagos, Nigeria. Isabel’s practice is firmly rooted in world-building, she has invented a world called Eternity, which she describes as a “normatopia”. Normatopia is a word that Isabel coined to mean a space that exists at the sweet spot between harsh reality and utopia. She self-published her first monographic book in 2022, called Friends in Eternity and has produced work for clients including: Dazed, Essence, Vogue and Apple amongst many others. Two of her works were recently acquired by the Art Gallery of Toronto. In this conversation, Isabel speaks to Alayo from home in Lagos, Nigeria about her life and her practice 

Happy Cancer Szn :) 

Keep up with us on Instagram:

Isabel: 

@isabelokoro

https://isabelokoro.com/

Alayo:

@ablackhistoryofart 

@alayoakinkugbe

A conversation with Tesfaye Urgessa, a painter based between Nurtingen, Germany and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Tesfaye's paintings are figurative, fleshy and dynamic. There is often -- amidst the business of his paintings -- an anchor point in the form of a piercing gaze. In this episode, Tesfaye speaks to Alayo from his studio in Nurtingen, about his life and his practice.

*apologies for the low sound quality, Tesfaye's studio is large and echoey*


Keep up with us on instagram:

Tesfaye: @tesfayeurgessa

Alayo: @ablackhistoryofart @alayoakinkugbe