eye.on.art

This summer took eye.on.art between Yaounde and Japan, alongside research and the development of upcoming exhibitions and events.

The trip to Yaounde was part of a workshop held at the French Institute (IFC – Yaoundé) in preparation for YaPhoto, the new project co-founded by Christine Eyene and Landry Mbassi, dedicated to promoting photography and lens-based media. Launched at the end of August as yaphoto.co, an independent online platform featuring works by Cameroonian photographers alongside selected news and opportunities, YaPhoto will evolve as a programme of workshops, professional encounters, exhibitions, educational and participatory projects.

This visit to Cameroon also coincided with RAVY, Yaounde’s Visual Arts Encounters established in 2008 by performance artist Serge-Olivier Fokoua, which 2016 edition entitled Contemporalités was curated by Mbassi. The biennial included a programme of performances by local and international artists, and exhibitions located over two venues: OTHNI (Yaounde’s Theatre Laboratory) and Kia Motors showroom which main feature was a large installation by 2015 Prince Claus Award winner Jean-Pierre Bekolo, in addition to works by established and emerging local artists. The Goethe Institute was also host to a series of conferences by Bekolo, Joseph Owona Ntsama, Christine Eyene and Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung

Returning to Japan after the Yokohama Triennale in 2014 and Dojima Biennale in 2015, this time direction Nagoya for the Aichi Triennale led by Artistic Director Chihiro Minato, Japanese photographer, art writer and scholar. Themed: Homo Faber: A Rainbow Caravan, the artistic vision invites the visitors to join “humankind’s creative journey—or “caravan”—to the unknown, the kind of journey that invariably takes the form of an endless quest driven by curiosity.” Minato conceived the triennial “in the most integrated manner possible”: with over 100 artists, not only is the programme multidisciplinary with visual arts, performing arts, cinema and even the production of an opera, it is also spread across 3 cities of Aichi prefecture: Nagoya, Okazaki and Toyohashi. Like most major art gatherings, this makes it impossible to visit in its entirety but it also means the events are reaching out a wider audience.

Aichi Triennale – Homo Faber: A Rainbow Caravan runs to 23 October 2016.
See here for more information.

In Tokyo, taking up residence at La Keyaki – a cultural space set up by gallery owner Atsuko Barouh on the edge of Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden – allowed for a week of artistic explorations and encounters. It was also an opportunity to continue developing new curatorial ideas.

Meanwhile, preparations were underway for the upcoming Printemps de Septembre Festival. Established as a biennial since 2014, led by French curator Christian Bernard, this edition brings together fifty artists and twelve curators collaborating with over twenty venues across Toulouse’s urban area. Blurring the line between visual arts and music, the programme of events will include exhibitions, concerts, projections, and performance. Among the featured artists are: Stan Douglas, Ragnar Kjartansson, Vincent Meessen, Hans Op De Beeck and David Shrigley, to name but a few. See the full programme here.

Our exhibition Resonances: second movement is the second chapter of the project All Of Us Have Sense Of Rhythm presented at David Roberts Art Foundation (DRAF), London in 2015. Developed for Printemps de Septembre at Espace Croix-Baragnon, it will present music scores, video, sculpture, painting, poetry, photography and sound art by artists John Cage, Ayoka Chenzira, Satch Hoyt, Langston Hughes, Yinka Shonibare MBE, William Titley, and the exciting new work of emerging Cameroonian painter Madeleine Mbida, a student of artist Hervé Youmbi, who has developed a unique research on Cameroon’s Bikutsi music.

Printemps de Septembre is on from 23 September to 23 October.

Finally, the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco has appointed its new scientific committee for the next three years. The committee’s President is by Manuel Borja-Villel, the members are Bjorn Dahlström, Christine Eyene and Chiara Parisi.

Watch this space for more art news!