In May, the Art Exchange: Moving Image programme facilitated a remarkable series of workshops across Nairobi, Kampala, and Dar es Salaam, creating a vital space for artistic exchange and dialogue. Organized by curators E.N. Mirembe, Jesse Mpango (Ajabu Ajabu), and Rosie Olang’, and featuring the British Ghanaian artist Larry Achiampong, the workshops brought together artists working with moving image to explore worldbuilding within video art, film, gaming, and writing. As a celebrated artist whose work is held in the British Council Collection, Achiampong provided a dynamic entry point for participants to engage critically with themes of identity, memory, and futurity.
Each workshop opened with a screening of Wayfinder, Achiampong’s resonant work that delves into questions of belonging and cultural narratives through a speculative lens. This provided a framework for participants to reflect on their own practices and to situate their creative processes within broader global conversations. Achiampong’s facilitation allowed for a balance between theoretical exploration and practical engagement, offering critique sessions that encouraged collaboration and the refinement of ideas. In Nairobi, the workshops set the stage for deep interdisciplinary engagement, with participants reflecting on how moving image can intersect with Kenyan storytelling traditions. Kampala’s sessions, held at the Afropocene StudioLab, took on an ecological focus, considering how digital and environmental futures might be visualized through experimental approaches. In Dar es Salaam, Ajabu Ajabu’s dynamic setting prompted rich discussions on cultural memory and futuristic imaginaries, with Achiampong’s layered use of sound, imagery, and text providing an inspiring model for creative innovation.
- Nairobi (May 6-8): Hosted in a vibrant hub for contemporary art, these sessions set the tone for a deeply collaborative and interdisciplinary series of workshops. Participants explored how Achiampong's narratives intersect with Kenyan storytelling traditions and visual languages.
- Kampala (May 10-12): Held at Afropocene StudioLab, these workshops emphasized the intersection of ecological and digital futures, sparking innovative approaches to representing climate realities through moving image.
- Dar es Salaam (May 14-16): Ajabu Ajabu provided a space for Tanzanian artists to investigate themes of cultural memory and futuristic imaginaries, engaging with Achiampong’s techniques of layering sound, imagery, and text.
The workshops’ influence extended beyond these sessions, informing a series of exhibitions curated by Mirembe, Mpango, and Olang’. These exhibitions integrated Achiampong’s works with local artistic responses, creating a space where global and regional perspectives converged. The result was a deeply nuanced exploration of moving image art, highlighting its power to articulate diverse cultural narratives while fostering a dialogue that was as locally rooted as it was globally resonant.
Managed by LUX on behalf of the British Council and delivered in partnership with the Guest Artists Space Foundation, the Art Exchange: Moving Image programme exemplifies the transformative potential of collaborative artistic initiatives. The workshops in East Africa demonstrated the ability of moving image art to bridge boundaries, offering a platform for emerging and established artists to envision new worlds and challenge existing frameworks. Through these workshops, Achiampong’s practice served as both inspiration and catalyst, leaving a lasting impact on the region’s creative landscape and paving the way for continued exploration of the moving image as a powerful medium for storytelling and worldbuilding.