The upcoming exhibition presents the results of two artistic collaborations. Building on the “prêt-à-partager” philosophy of the Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (ifa) – according to which artists with Europe and Africa at the center of their lives work together – we’re showing photographs, videos and an installation.

An artistic collaboration between Zohra Opoku (Germany/Ghana) and Goddy Leye (Cameroon, died 2011), who first met in 2008 at a prêt-à-partager ifa workshop in Dakar and together conceived this installation in 2011 in Lagos, in connection with another ifa workshop.

This first collaborative execution of an idea with Zohra was Leye’s last work; in his spirit, we use this exhibition as an opportunity to complete the not yet fully realized concept. We also show several of his older video works in his memory. A documentation of the project, filmed by Leye in Lagos, can be seen at the ifa gallery during the same time period.

Opoku, an artist and fashion designer, refers thematically to the installation – which she calls Not Installed – in several photographic series of laundry still lifes: clothing hanging to dry in front of picturesque documentary backgrounds; photomontages with fabrics fluttering against a backdrop of bamboos; flowing laundry items printed tenfold on chiffon and hung in rows produce a small installation, blowing in the breeze.

Opoku’s work examines the cycle of textiles: from secondhand clothes and related export issues to local transformations and the connection between traditional and modern European-influenced styles. Batakari is a good example, a piece comprised of fabric collages, photos of street actions and a helmet. Ein Stoffballen is a bale of cloth, and Dress on Dress is a dress on a dress. >>

Dakar – Berlin

A picture a week – that is both the content and form of the photographic exchange between Simone Gilges in Berlin and Mamadou Gomis in Dakar, the Senegalese capital. Since meeting at a prêt-à-partager workshop in 2009, the two photographers have been exchanging a photo every week over the Internet, each one a response and commentary to the one that came before... >>

This exchange is the basis of the publication Dakar/Berlin, Mamadou Gomis und Simone Gilges, which will be released at the exhibition opening. The photo series and book were initiated and produced by the Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (ifa) e.V.

We will show 30 images.

Opening dates ifa:
ifa-Galerie Berlin | 27 April – 8 July 2012 | Opening Thur. 26 April – 7:00 PM
ifa-Galerie Stuttgart | 4 May – 1 July 2012 | Opening Thur. 3 May – 7:00 PM

The submission period is from 28 April to 28 May. The five best portfolios will be exhibited from 13 to 17 June during Art Basel 43 at the FOCUS 12 – CONTEMPORARY ART AFRICA. Submitted work must have an African theme. The focus of the prize is telling stories through the medium of photography; each project must function as a whole and feature a narrative structure. Collaborative projects are also eligible. The contest is open to all photographers regardless of age or origin.>>

Jury
Tobia Bezzola, Curator, Zürich, Switzerland
Benjamin Füglister, Artist, Berlin, Germany
Peter Herrmann, Gallery owner, Berlin, Germany

Michket Krifa, Curator, Paris, France
Andreas Müller-Pohle, Artist and Publisher, Berlin, Germany
Lesley A. Martin, Publisher, New York, USA
Laura Serani, Curator, Paris, France
Akinbode Akinbiyi, Artist, Berlin, Germany
Jürg Schneider, Historian, Basel, Switzerland

Press (Review):
A repository of art events Berliner Erinnerungslandschaften, Manuela Warstat

For 23 years, Galerie Peter Herrmann has provided artists with African roots a platform through which to build a global network. Trade show appearances and international collaborations along with five or six annual exhibitions in Berlin provide a cross-cultural context in which to discuss their multimedia works. As curator, Peter Herrmann has organized more than 300 exhibitions – in his own gallery space as well as in museums and at art associations – and has taken an active stand on cultural policy issues.

In 1995, the gallery became Germany’s first to have an Internet presence. With over three million unique visitors and 20 million page views since, the website has become an important source of information. We have sponsored the training of interns and the advanced training of scholarly personnel.

Learn more in texts, columns, press clippings and references

Galerie Peter Herrmann
Potsdamer Straße 98A
10785 Berlin
00 49-30-88 62 58 46
info@galerie-herrmann.com
www.galerie-herrmann.com

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