C&: The mission statement says it is about bringing “the global North and South and the rest of the African continent closer together in order to exchange, collaborate, be inspired and learn from one another.” How will you deal with the history of this place, your own position in it, and the creation of new narratives?
RR: I am no expert on African or STP history, though I am aware of the many historical currents connecting STP to the African mainland, as well as to Europe, the Americas, and other parts of the world. And that this is, in many ways, a painful and loaded history. At the same time, I have become wary of a narrative that exclusively describes Africa as a place of sorrow and suffering: though this image may be justified by harsh daily realities and a problematic past, it also fixes the continent in an undeserved cliché of powerlessness and lack of agency.
I have encountered many artists aiming to create a fresh take on their world through beauty, poetry, irony, or a sense of humor, without negating daily reality. I was inspired to see how beauty and visual appearance can possess significance and deep meaning, and how fashion, style, and beauty can be vehicles of dignity and self-actualization, sometimes even with a healing effect.
My curatorial process is intuitive. While I start out with a clear initial question, I do not look for work to fit or illustrate a predefined concept. Interaction with artists’ work and vision is essential. Each work that inspires me helps to shape and further the narrative. With N’GOLÁ, the artists and the works I encountered during my research taught me a lot.
Just to give you a few examples: Yves Sambu from DR Congo will be staging a tribute to Rei Amador, a national hero of São Tomé and Príncipe who led a revolt of enslaved Africans in 1595. Sunny Dolat from Kenya is preparing a very ambitious performance, In Their Finest Robes, The Children Shall Return, which requests the presence of every single country on the African continent in an item of fashion. To Sunny Dolat the country, through which thousands of enslaved people have passed, provides “a stage upon which to reflect on a moment, a contemporary re-telling, re-membering and re-visiting of one of the greatest tragedies in the history of humanity.” But his presentation also signifies hope, beauty, and pride, as he states in his profound essay for the catalogue: “Rituals open a door for us, a generation of Africans who desire a return to our highest, most dignified selves – clothed in our finest robes.”
N’GOLÁ Biennial took place from 26 July to 18 August, with an opening festival on 26, 27 and 28 July.
Renny Ramakers is an Amsterdam based art historian. She is co-founder and director of Droog, the renowned experimental design initiative from the Netherlands. In 1993 she and Gijs Bakker started Droog as an anti-statement; a down to earth design mentality with a human touch that opposed the high style and form-based world of design.
Interview by Theresa Sigmund.