Windhoek
The National Art Gallery of Namibia (NAGN) is inviting artists from all communities to submit artworks for consideration for the Conversations project.
The NAGN is extending the invitation following the launch of the project which was attended by more than 20 artists from all disciplines and which provided the artists with a platform to forge possible collaborations with themselves and the NAGN for the project. The launch of the project which aims to create a space in which non-artist (through the collaborative process) can gain exposure to the process of art making as well as feel some ownership over the products, saw keen artists and art supporters share their views on the importance of collaboration, what it means to them and their questions were also answered.
This project is open to any artworks that are made in the process of collaboration. These collaborations can take place between professional artists and amateurs, between professionals (working in the same or different mediums), between artists and institutions (through a process of consultation), or between the artists and the audience (as in the case of participatory work). These collaborations are not limited to a specific number of people and require only that the submitter can show that the work was made by more than one person through a collaborative process.
Luke Kamenye welcomed such an opportunity sating that: “It’s a great platform for the artist to get together. It will show a New Era of art that has not been seen before.”
Isabel Katjavivi, a cultural officer at the Franco-Namibian Cultural Centre (FNCC) acknowledges the importance of such a collaboration, stating that: “Through collaboration, artists and institutions are able to share different perspectives, therefor we all for it.” Ruth Suermann, another attendee and a cultural programmes coordinator at the Goethe Institute says that she likes the idea as it brings different people together. “This project brings institutions, children, upcoming and established artists together, we are able to see what they all about, getting out of our boundaries and get in contact the upcoming artist, such a great initiative,” affirms Suermann.
Through this project Namibian artists of all disciplines will be given the opportunity to explore the potential of making work across disciplines and subjectivities, and submit work in any artistic medium/discipline. All artists are encouraged to communicate with the NAGN’s curators regarding their ideas, potential collaborators and the envisioned product of the collaborations. This process of consultation will make more ambitious projects more feasible. Electronic entry forms may be requested from pro@nagn.org.na, grncurator@nagn.org.na or curator@nagn.org.na and can be found on the NAGN website: www.nagn.org.na
As this is not a competition, a selection panel will select artworks for display before June 24. The selected artworks will be on display at the NAGN for the duration of the exhibition, which would be running from July 14 to August 8.