- Venue
- Autograph
- Date
- Sunday, December 13, 2020
01:00 PM - Address
- Rivington Pl, Hackney, London EC2A 3BA
- Location
- London
- Organiser
- Autograph
Artists and activists have always played a fundamental role in transformative social change. With the Covid-19 pandemic emphasising global inequalities and exposing the violent systems that uphold them, we turn to artivists to provide a language for these challenging times and illuminate ways forward.
Join us as we ask: dhiiga kuma dhaqaaqo? Does your blood not move? We ask this question with reference to the Somali-British poet Warsan Shire, in the face of injustice and in commune with each other – to emphasise the importance of community and building strength from and with each other.
Over the course of the event, we will hear from Anthem Republiq (Kenya), Elsie Cullen (Nigeria/UK), and Nandini Moitra (India). These three artists will be inconversation with one another, sharing their practice and exploring the ways we can collaborate and collectively create transnational solidarityamong socially engaged artists, or artivists. The conversation will be followed by a Q&A with the audience.
This online event is intended to be transnational – everyone is welcome to join, from any location. The primary language used will be English. The event time in other time zones is:
05:00 – 06:30 (PST)
08:00 – 09:30 (EST)
16:00 – 17:30 (EAT)
18:30 – 20:00 (IST)
There will be a follow-up Kitchen Table Conversation on December 19th for those interested in continuing the informal discussion and sharing experiences through a more interactive online get-together.
Find out more on our website
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ARTISTS
ANTHEM REPUBLIQ
Anthem Republiq (he/him) is a spoken word artist, a rapper and an actor who uses his art for social change. He is a community leader, an environmentalist and the co-founder of Sanaa Center, a safe space for creatives based in Mathare (the 2nd largest slum in Nairobi, Kenya).
ELSIE AYOTUNDE CULLEN
Elsie Ayotunde Cullen (she/her) is an ICU nurse whilst studying a part-time Masters at LSE in Health & International Development. In her free time she is also an illustrator and community wellbeing advocate. With over 10 years in the creative industries, Elsie’s career has spanned across various disciplines from dance to fine art to music and now resting in content creation. Her vision of the future is one that holds community development and therapeutic conversation close, using arts and creativity to support wellbeing and growth.
NANDINI MOITRA
Nandini Moitra (they/them) is a trans, non-binary artist living and residing in Kolkata, India. They are the founder and co-director of Amra Odbhuth, a trans and queer art space in the city. Most recently Nandini has co- exhibited their work in the ORT Gallery, Birmingham, in collaboration with a project for the England Arts Council and Chicago Art Book Fair. Nandini is part of the South Asian art collective Kadak where they have most recently collaborated with Upasana Agarwal on a story for their Anthology, Bystander. They are a former staff artist at Kajal mag, and have been featured in the graphic anthologies by Gaysi. Their work explores queer politics through mythology, stories and food.
FACILITATORS
Clo Villalobos and Nikita Sena are friends who dream of creating a transnational collective of artists, activists and healers to support each other in creating alternative futures rooted in sustainability in all its forms. They believe there is immense power and wisdom in transnational solidarity that can strengthen local socio-environmental justice work.
Clo (she/her) currently finds home in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where she helps coordinate a network of favela-based socio-environmental justice projects. Clo believes in combining transnational perspectives with local alternatives to oppressive structures and social norms. Her dream is to co-run a community library/café that brings together people of all ages and backgrounds to think, talk and act on accountability and healing justice.
Nikita (she/her) is a British-Ghanaian intersectional feminist, with a background in human rights and a love for music, literature, film and dance. She is interested in dismantling existing norms and systems, and in exploring how we can reimagine and recreate the world around us. While a curatorial resident at be’kech, Berlin (now Kultur NeuDenken-Oyoun) in 2019, Nikita created and facilitated the workshops SEND N(U)DES and WHO’S THAT GXL, part of a series dedicated to using art as a medium to explore socio-political issues.
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HOW TO JOIN THIS EVENT
This event will take place online only, and everyone is welcome to join us.
Here’s how to join us:
1) Book a free ticket on this webpage, on Eventbrite, or the Facebook event.
2) We’ll send you an email confirmation of your booking.
3) This online event will use Zoom. For the best experience, we recommend using the Zoom app on your computer or mobile device. You can download the free software here. Or, you can access the event through your web browser without a download.
4) On the day of the event, we’ll send you a welcome email with a link to the event on Zoom. You will be able to join for the start of the event at 1pm (GMT).
FAQS
Can participants outside of the UK join this event?
Yes! This online event is intended to be transnational – everyone is welcome to join, from any location. The primary language used will be English.
The event time in other time zones is:
05:00 – 06:30 (PST)
08:00 – 09:30 (EST)
16:00 – 17:30 (EAT)
18:30 – 20:00 (IST)
Will the event be recorded?
Yes. After the event, you can watch the full event video on Autograph’s blog, with subtitles.
Will I be visible on screen?
Participants will not be visible on screen.
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PART OF AUTOGRAPH’S 2020 OPEN CALL
Each year, Autograph has an Open Call for event proposals from emerging cultural producers who are working on a new or early stage project. For successful applicants, Autograph provides a budget, curatorial fee, and support to help make the event happen. This event is a result of our 2020 Open Call.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Supported using public funding by Arts Council England.
Image by Jônatas Moreira (instagram: @jonatxs.art).
