Online Panels

Panel 1: Art institutions as plurality warrants
5 May 2021 2-5pm (BST)

Over the past 20 years, lhttps://youtu.be/qBWXiS6qvIoeading European cultural institutions have engaged in initiatives aimed at fostering ‘decolonised virtuous dialogues and narratives’ about the Global South and the African continent in particular. Concurrently, in Africa, the fast-evolving arts sector based on biennials, festivals, fairs, residencies have emerged and offered alternative spaces for interaction, some commercially focused, others of a more socio-cultural exchange nature. Art institutions have been central in igniting and generating both cultural exchanges and the decolonisation process of the art sector. This panel will address the following key questions: With the strain on mobility and measures imposed to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus, what are these primary actors doing to ensure that different voices and perspectives are still included in art practice dissemination, visibilityand legacy? Do we need to adapt existing platforms or identify new ones to guarantee a plurality of world views? How can we continue fostering an environment which is conducive to contemporary arts-based cross-cultural and decolonised exchanges?

Introduction by: Professor Marina Novelli – Academic Lead, University of Brighton Responsible Futures
Speakers:
Azu Nwagbogu– Founder and Director, Africa Artists Foundation (AAF) and LagosPhoto Festival Lagos (Nigeria)
Alessia Glaviano– Senior photoeditor, Vogue Italia, Founder and Director, PhotoVogue Festival (Italy)
Modupeola Fadugba– Artist, (Nigeria/Togo/USA)
Facilitated by: Maria Pia Bernardoni – University of Brighton BBTCA Project Facilitator 

Panel 2: Local actions for a global vision
2 June 2021 2-5pm (BST)

One of the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis has been the desegregation of international communities, the impossibility of international gatherings for health and sanitary reasons as well as for legal and bureaucratic ones (i.e. border closures, increased difficulties in getting visas, permission to leave countries or being allowed into a country).Over the last few months,the Global North have been experiencing a rampant increase of nationalist and populist ideologies and movements, placing under threat years of hard work by art curatorsandinstitutions and academic organisations committed to fostering cross-cultural knowledge exchange programmes and/or international projects. Concurrently, a call for decolonising academic and industry practices is permeating many conversations at local and global levels. This panel will address the following key questions: Will it be still possible to maintain a global vision through local intervention and the fostering of decolonised agendas drawing on local knowledge rather than preconceived set of norms and practices? What kind of practices and mechanisms should be activated to preserve the ‘global’ intent of the art world, when the only potential physical recipients might be restricted to the immediate circle of (local) audiences? What will the role of curators and international operators such as art galleries be in such an apparently narrower ideological landscape?

Introduction by: Professor Marina Novelli – Academic Lead, University of Brighton Responsible Futures
Speakers:
Serge Attukwei Clottey – Artist (Ghana)
Marwan Zakhem – Founder and Director, Gallery 1957 (Ghana/ UK)
Andrew Comben – Chief Executive, Brighton Dome and Brighton Festival (UK)
Facilitated by: Maria Pia Bernardoni – University of Brighton BBTCA Project Facilitator 

Panel 3: Responsible solutions to new obstacles
30 June 2021 2-5pm (BST)

The cultural and creative sectors are important in terms of their economic footprint and job opportunities. They can spur innovation across the economy, foster responsible futures, as well as contribute to positive social change (ie. wellbeing and health, education, entrepreneurship, social inclusion, gender equality, etc.). The contribution of contemporary arts has proved to be important in other areas of local development, from rebuilding community trust to contributing to alternative development opportunities. Virtual and digitalised solutions at time of crisis have been providing an alternative to the ‘old face-to-face normal’ of biennials, festivals, fairs, residencies, studio visits that offered opportunities for meeting, new research and collaborative projects,but is this viable and sustainable in the long term? This panel will address the following key questions:  What is the role of contemporary arts in fostering responsible futures intended as practices which pay more attention to individual wellbeing and health, education, inclusion, gender equality, etc.? Are there any creative innovative solutions that artists, curators and other arts’ operators have been considering and/or should consider to overcome the isolation and distance imposed by the virtual-only consumption of art? Over the years, we have seen contemporary artists engaging in activism and addressing contemporary global problems, such as climate change, social inequalities and other unspoken issues such as mental health disorders. Can the contemporary arts sector become the driver of a new way of sharing a more sustainable vision for the future, through activism?

Introduction by: Professor Marina Novelli – Academic Lead, University of Brighton Responsible Futures
Video interview – In conversation with Joana Choumali– Artist (Ivory Coast).
Speakers:
Owanto Berger– Artist (Gabon /Spain)
Gerald Chukwuma – Artist (Nigeria)
Facilitated by: Maria Pia Bernardoni University of Brighton BBTCA Project Facilitator

Find out more about our impressive line-up of speakers and facilitators.