TRAVEL DIARY: TANDAZANI DHLAKAMA
For Tandazani Dhlakama, assistant curator at Zeitz MOCAA, to once again see art in person is the experience she's anticipating with the greatest pleasure when we can travel once more.
Once travel restrictions are lifted, I am looking forward to the sensorial experience of seeing physical artwork. I want to have lengthy conversations with artists and smell wet oil paint, clay, resin or other materials in their studios again. I want to navigate through large-scale immersive installations and be moved by sonic experimentations. I want to go gallery-hopping in the CBD with friends until my feet hurt again. Though I really appreciate the accessibility of Zoom performances, PDF portfolios and virtual exhibitions, I'm looking forward to seeing art in person once more.
DAK’ART, DAKAR, SENEGAL
I've attended two iterations of the Dak’Art, Biennial of Contemporary African Art in Senegal and would love to be at the next one too. Conceived in 1989 and begun two years later, this is one of the continent’s longest standing and most consistent mega-exhibition platforms. Curated by El Hadji Malick Ndiaye, the theme for this year’s 14th edition would have been "Ĩ Ndaffa/Forger/ Out of The Fire".
INTERNATIONAL BIENNIAL, CASABLANCA, MOROCCO
I'm also looking forward to seeing younger biennials that have been initiated in other countries, such as the International Biennial of Casablanca in Morocco. I am curious about the narratives produced by artists exhibiting from a place that's connected to two different continents and the Atlantic Ocean. Now in its fifth iteration, this biennial was launched in 2012. With Christine Eyene as its artistic director, it is slated to take place in May 2021 under the theme, "The Words Create Images".
KAMPALA ART BIENNALE, KAMPALA, UGANDA
The country has a burgeoning art scene, with new art centres continuing to flourish, building from the foundations of some of East Africa’s most important art schools. I respect the work of artist and curator Daudi Karungi and am interested to see some of the art platforms to which he's contributed over the years. Among his many initiatives is the Kampala Art Biennale, founded in 2014. Curated by Simon Njami, the curatorial concept for the next Kampala Art Biennale, "Get Up, Stand Up", is inspired by the title of the iconic song
written by Peter Tosh and Bob Marley and released by the Wailers in 1973. As contested monuments continue to be toppled, cultural organisation policies revisited, the call for repatriation heightened, and police brutality and corruption exposed, both the theme and lyrics around this song are timely. And as the world continues to grapple with issues related to systemic prejudice and injustice, now more than ever, we need to stand together in solidarity for radical change to occur.
ACASA TRIENNALE, CHICAGO, USA
Artists have always found provocative ways of prompting important discourse. Through them, we are gifted with new ways of making meaning, memorialising, imagining and dreaming. Artists make work that helps us to engage with important histories, memories and stories. I look forward to gathering once
again for the purposes of art-related knowledge exchange and collaboration. I am hoping to attend the Arts Council of the African Studies Association (ACASA) Triennale in June 2021 at DePaul University and the Art Institute of Chicago. These conferences tend to attract movers and shakers from the art world who are passionate about material culture from Africa. Of course, as much as I have great anticipation for travelling elsewhere, I am also looking forward to seeing visitors engaging once again with art spaces here in Cape Town. Whether it’s a bus full of local high-school students, participants in our community exchange programmes, SADC academics in town for a conference, Cape Town couples on date night, or a spellbound international tourist, I'm looking forward to welcoming visitors to Zeitz MOCAA again. zeitzmocaa.museum