Rethinking the South

The visual artist Lisa C Soto is based in Puerto Rico and Ghana. In her work, she uses imagery of actual and imagined cartography to address local and global interactions, tropical flora and cosmic connections. Her multimedia large-scale installations consist of earthbound and industrial materials as well as plants, instruments and games. Soto's works question hierarchies and binaries, reflect rhizomatic patterns in nature and challenge Western "rational" approaches to knowledge.

Selected exhibitions include Negro/A/X group exhibition at Corredor Afro gallery, 2020, Loiza, Puerto Rico; the Getty Foundation initiative PST LA/LA, Relational Undercurrents: Contemporary Art of the Caribbean Archipelago, traveling group exhibition from 2017 – 2019; “Convergence”, a 2018 collaboration with Adjaye Associates creating her first permanent installation in the public realm in Newark, NJ. Artist lectures include MIT, Ford Foundation, KNUST, Claremont Graduate University and Rutgers University. Soto is currently an MFA candidate at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

"I am looking forward to experimenting with movement and flora within the space of natural environments such as the forests, and river beds in Bahia, during my stay at the Vila Sul residency. I intend to make use of the opportunity to explore a new medium in order to discuss the symbiotic and energetic exchange between bodies and plants in the context of Bahia’s histories. These histories will be triangulated between Bahia, my Caribbean cultures and my present home of Ghana."

Caroline Gueye was born and raised in Senegal where she grew up immersed in an artistic environment under the influence of her grandfather Paul Ahyi who designed the Togolese flag.
She pursued her higher education in France, the United States and China and she holds degrees in astrophysics, atmospheric physics and Chinese. Currently she ist working on a PhD in art and science at the university of Lyon in France.

Her work in the studio of the Chinese artist Qin Chong (亲冲) in 2016 inspired her in her preference for volume. Since then she has participated, all combined, in more than thirty group exhibitions, solos and residencies on four continents. At the Dakar Biennale 2022 she received the prize for the best artist in West Africa (ECOWAS prize).

Odun Orimolade engages her practice in an experimental and multifaceted perspective of trans-disciplinary approaches, research and collaborations. She keeps an open contexture to her pedagogic, artistic and curatorial practice attending to a mix of ideologies and worldviews cultivated from different resource areas. This leads her into explorations of human behavioural tendencies, orientation and interaction as mechanisms for navigation. Orimolade’s research interests revolve around approaches to practice, creative engagement, navigation and influences that challenge and inform creative production for positive external impact. She explores possibilities for professional practice development, learning mediums and pedagogies that provide fresh avenues for flexible creative exploration. Her research also interrogates issues and initiatives that promote or confine practice. She pursues an interest in participatory research practices, as artistic intervention into a range of different spaces. Orimolade is passionate about creating mentorship avenues and contributes to different fields of creative activity alongside community projects.

Quasi-artist born and raised in the outskirts of São Paulo, in the neighborhood of Parada de Taipas. Grandson of Rosa (Rose) and Esmeraldo (Emerald), Diego Crux is of the color that recalls memory. He researches intimate and personal callings, collective experiences, representation, design, visual samples, words. Crux has participated in exhibitions in São Paulo, Curitiba, Accra (GH), Arles (FR) and Copenhagen (DK) and in residencies, such as Pivô (2020) curated by Thiago de Paula Souza and MAM Rio (2021) coordinated by Camilla Rocha Campos.

Huda Tayob is a South African architect, theorist and architectural historian. Her research focuses on minor, migrant and subaltern architectures. She is co-curator of the open access curriculum Racespacearchitecture.org, and lead curator of the digital platform the Archive of Forgetfulness. She exhibited at the 18th International architecture exhibition in Venice (2023), with a project titled Index of Edges, which traces watery archives, methods and stories of migrant architectures along east African coastal edges, from Cape Town, South Africa to Port Said, Egypt. She is currently working on a manuscript project titled 'Opaque Architectures:Black Markets as Infrastructures of Care' - a project which draws out trans-national sites established by African migrants, as sites of possibility.

In the intricate terrain of sustainable and inclusive development issues, Deji Akinpelu stands as a dedicated artisan, wielding the arts as his canvas to paint the vibrant stories etched into the lives of people across Africa and the diaspora. With an ardent aim of fostering vital conversations that drive transformative change and safeguard cultural heritage, Akinpelu's unwavering focus centers on meticulous documentation, weaving together the rich tapestry of histories, struggles, indomitable spirits, and profound faith that propels communities forward.

Born with a keen eye for observing the relentless pursuit of development and gender inclusivity that surrounded him, Akinpelu's childhood ignited an intense passion within him—a deep-seated longing to creatively convey challenging African narratives. This passion found expression through the captivating mediums of documentary filmmaking and photography, serving as his tools to craft narratives that resonate, giving voice to stories that herald change, empowerment, and the enduring preservation of cultural legacies.

As a self-taught photographer turned filmmaker, Akinpelu honed his skills at the SAE Institute in Dubai, embarking on a creative journey that led him to establish the Rethinking Cities Initiative (RCI). This dynamic collaborative platform unites professionals in the realms of Arts, Media, and Urban Planning, sharing a mission to champion and communicate innovative social enterprise solutions addressing complex urban challenges across the African landscape.

At the heart of RCI lies the online advocacy and knowledge hub, "researchinlagos", where Akinpelu and his team delve into the intricate fabric of urban life. They dissect its complexities, seeking innovative ways to enhance the well-being of communities. Additionally, the on-demand advocacy television and online podcast, "Yanme", provides a platform for the vibrant voices of young people in marginalized Lagos communities. Through Yanme, they share their daily experiences, passionately advocating for improved governance in their neighborhoods.

Akinpelu's capacity as a filmmaker and photographer extends beyond the lens, as he has had the privilege of producing and directing documentaries for esteemed international development agencies. Organizations such as Heinrich Boll Stiftung (HBS), the French Development Agency (AFD), and Amnesty International have entrusted him to shine a light on critical issues, sparking conversations that transcend borders and cultures.

Notably, Akinpelu's advocacy efforts garnered attention from German international media, DW, which featured his work as part of their coverage. This recognition underscores the power of storytelling and visual communication in bringing important social issues to the forefront, amplifying the impact of Akinpelu's work.

In summary, Deji Akinpelu's journey as a photographer and filmmaker has evolved into a passionate pursuit of social change and urban innovation. Through RCI and various projects, he aspires to contribute meaningfully to the transformation of cities across Africa, amplifying the voices of those often unheard and ensuring that the narratives of resilience and progress take center stage. Akinpelu's commitment to fostering dialogue, driving change, and preserving cultural heritage through the lens of art marks him as a trailblazer in the realm of visual storytelling and social advocacy.

Patti Anahory is an architect working across building, art, education, and curatorial practices. Her work aims to challenge established notions of place and belonging, delving into the intersections of identity, memory, race and gender. Born at sea, aboard a ship en route to São Tomé and Principe, Anahory is committed to decolonial frameworks, centering African worlds from an island perspective, considering it as both a fugitive edge and radical margin while focusing on the complex relationships between narratives and spatialities, emphasizing entanglements of people, power, and the built and natural environment.  Anahory co-founded XU: and Storia na Lugar, storytelling, counter-narrative practices and her(e), otherwise, an experimental platform for African and Diasporan women spatial thinkers. She is on the Board of Academic Advisors at the African Futures Institute, an independent postgraduate center for architectural research in Ghana. She was Visiting Professor at Columbia University (2022-23) and Founding Director of CIDLOT, a multidisciplinary research center at the University of Cabo Verde.

Sao Sreymao was born 1986 at the Site 2 refugee camp on the Thai border. She graduated from Phare Ponleu Selpak’s School of Visual and Applied Arts, Battambang province, in 2006. Her multidisciplinary practice includes painting, photography, digital drawing, sculpture and performance. Her works explore personal expression and memories, as well as the changing physical and psychological landscapes of Cambodian urban and rural communities. She has also collaborated with various writers in visual storytelling and published a number of graphic novels. In addition, Sao Sreymao’s artworks have been exhibited as solos and groups at local and international galleries as well as art festivals.

A tireless traveler, Kokou Ferdinand Makouvia draws on his explorations of the world to enrich his practice. His artistic path is in the form of an outstretched hand, stubbornly seeking to (re)reconcile the here and the elsewhere: oneself and the other, the near and the far, the memory of origins and the history of their erasure, the spirituality of ancestors and the philosophy to come. This indissociable whole that makes up each human being, fragments him, and with which we must, with rage and tenderness, tirelessly live. Imbued with the animism of his native culture and a deep-rooted spirituality, the sculptor has developed a very personal philosophy between materiality and sensitivity in pursuit of turning the resistance of the material into a creative force, the random into a personal challenge, the accident into a response from the material to be integrated into the work. At the same time, he is developing a practice of performance, of reacting to the world and to things, often in the street, always impromptu. Kokou Ferdinand Makouvia trained at the Beaux-Arts de Valenciennes, then in Paris, where he obtained his DNSAP in 2019, five years after beginning his art studies in Abidjan and after a degree in telecommunications in Lomé. He then joined the prestigious De Ateliers residency in Amsterdam (2019-2021). In 2021, he was the recipient of the Salomon Foundation Residency Award and in 2023 entered the ISCP residency, the International Studio & Curatorial Programme in New York. He is also co-founder of the ArtMéssiamé contemporary art residency, an annual event held in Lomé-Togo.

Karla Claudio is a filmmaker, artist and educator born and based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Their creative practice is guided by material research on Caribbean dyes and pigments, ethnobotany, oral history and land-based practices in support of material and food sovereignty. They lead La Recolecta, an itinerant arts and ecology lab that studies the potential of wild plants and clays for craft, medicine and food. Ethnobotanical knowledge is foraged and shared through zines, short documentaries and community workshops. Karla Claudio’s short documentaries and experiments with Caribbean dyes and pigments have been presented at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Puerto Rico, Miramar Museum of Design, Whitney Museum of American Art, BronxNet Television, Kadist Online Gallery, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum and local Puerto Rican galleries. They are currently working as a creative and local producer for Matininó, a feature length hybrid documentary directed by Gabriela Arp and supported by Topic, Sundance Film Institute, Bay Area Video Coalition, Ford Foundation, Firelight Media and more. They were selected to participate in the 2023 Sundance Producers Intensive and are a 2024 Sundance Latine Artist Fellow.

Nyancho NwaNri is a Gambian-Nigerian visual artist, documentary filmmaker, cultural researcher and educator whose work explores the intersections of indigenous African spiritual traditions, cultures, history, personal and collective identity, the natural environment, conservation and the human experience. Her work has been exhibited at various museums, festivals and exhibitions both locally and internationally, including the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary African Art (South Africa), Hong-gah Museum (Taiwan), Art X Lagos (Nigeria), Bamako Biennale (Mali), Eyes On Main Street Festival (USA), VideoEX Festival (Switzerland) and Ndiva Women's Film Festival (Ghana). She was nominated for the Reuters Journalist of the Year award in 2022 after receiving the Reuters Yannis Behrakis Photojournalism Grant in 2021. She was a finalist for the Art X Prize in 2021 and the Wellcome Photography Prize in 2020, as well as being shortlisted for the Forecast Platform in 2022. Nyancho NwaNri is an alumnus of the CCA Lagos Asiko Art School residency programme and was also a recipient of the French Embassy/Cite Des Arts residency in Paris, France. Nyancho NwaNri's documentary work revolves around environmental and social issues and has been featured in various publications including The New York Times, Reuters, The Guardian, Aljazeera, The Irish Times, Quartz, Geographical Magazine and many others.

With a strong passion and dedication to nurturing and supporting the next generation of visual artists and storytellers, her work as an educator sees her conducting workshops, trainings and mentorship programmes in film and photography across the African continent and beyond.