On behalf of EVC, Paul-Henry Assako Assako had applied for a panel presentatiom at the 19th edition of ACASA, and this application was accepted. The panel was one of those that opened the online conference. It was the first time that EVC contributed to this important conference series. The theme of this particular panel was 'Exploring visual cultures - pluralising production of knowledge and expertise'. The speakers were Paul-Henry Assako Assako, Mary Clare Kidenda, Avi Sooful and Ernst Wagner. For two hours, the speakers presented and discussed the following topics:
Paul-Henri S. Assako Assako: The internationalization of contemporary afro culture: the challenges of the afro fashion association Milan since 2014
Contemporary societies create racial and cultural barriers. Diasporas from the Global South encounter conservative political and economic systems in the West. These challenges drive "extra-community" members towards resilient activism aimed at improving their socio-professional integration. In Italy, the African diaspora faces obstacles in the recognition of qualifications and access to skilled jobs, illustrating an internationalization dominated by Western norms. The Afro Fashion Association (AFA) in Milan highlights these challenges through projects in the fashion sector, valuing African contributions and promoting multiculturalism as a factor of social, economic, and cultural development. Afro Fashion Association initiatives reveal the resistance of a conservative Italian society to change and sociocultural diversity.
Mary Clare Kidenda et al: Artistic Collaborations: Hawker Mali Mali and Narratives of The Anthropocene
The world experiences complex challenges which require us to explore approaches that sufficiently prepare us to address them. In this article we investigate collaborative projects between designers, artists, curators, and cultural organizations in Africa and Europe, and analyze how these initiatives contribute to mutual understanding, cross-cultural dialogue, and artistic innovation. We discuss three collaborative Exploring Visual Cultures projects the authors have been involved in as students, residents, and facilitators; Hawker Mali Mali Board and Video games, and the Water Bodies – Narratives of the Anthropocene artists residency. Using structured and unstructured research, participant observation and extensive reading, we reflect on the projects’ exploratory and chosen concepts, approaches, working processes and navigating the dynamics that multicultural global teams bring onto the projects.
Avi Sooful: Rewriting the Visual: Can We Imagine a Joint Textbook for Art from the Global South and the Global North?
Decolonization of art education is usually theoretical. But how is meaningful practice encouraged? Art educators from South Africa, Ghana and Germany currently work on a joint textbook, bringing voices from the Global South and the Global North into conversation. The vision is that the same textbook will be used in Ghana and Germany. This project started in early 2023, three workshops have been held, in Ghana, Germany and South Africa. The presentation reflects on processes and first results from different perspectives.
Ernst Wagner: 1001 ways of seeing
From 2022 to 2023, EVC colleagues from South Africa, Japan and Germany worked on a comparative study. The research question was: How is "learning to see" (of artworks or artefacts) taught in different places around the world? Ten experts from around the globe collaborated on the study, including colleagues from Uganda, South Africa and Nigeria. The paper presents the most important results of this research in a comparison of the African positions. The further approaches from Asia, Europe and Latin America are considered as a framework of reference.