Lakin Ogunbanwo, Mohau Modisakeng, and Siwa Mgoboza at Lagos Photo

WHATIFTHEWORLD is pleased to announce that Mohau Modisakeng, Lakin Ogunbanwo, and Siwa Mgoboza are included in the seventh LagosPhoto Festival. ‘Rituals and Performance: Inherent Risk’ opens on the 22nd of October, and runs until the 21st of November.

The act of posing as a repetitive act that constructs an image or images which morph into an idea or identity is an act of courage for both the subject and photographer. The concept of the ‘decisive moment’ is a gamble in the sense that other constructs are neglected in its determination.

LagosPhoto 2016 explores the role of acts of repetition that shape gender, image, identity, social agency, power and social constructs in contemporary society. The repetitive acts imbued with belief become coercive and normative. It shapes our general idea of what is true in determining an African image, gender, religion, beauty, social class and so forth. Michel Foucault’s (1980) conception on the transmissions and representations of power not just in its ability to contain and control but in its ability to enable individuals to function within cultural roles and allows for alternative self-definitions and self-presentations. Contemporary visual representations directly affect the cultural meanings associated with image construction and interpretation.

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Athi-Patra Ruga at PERFORMA

WHATIFTHEWORLD is pleased to announce that  Athi-Patra Ruga will be performing a collaborative piece titled Over the Rainbow –  at the 2016 Performa Gala in New York. Beloved Country’ will feature a special tribute to the power of the visual arts and performance in South Africa in honour of renowned curator Okwui Enwezor on the 1st of November 2016.

New York—Performa announces its fall 2016 gala, Beloved Country, to honor acclaimed curator, museum director and writer Okwui Enwezor. The special celebration will take place on November 1, 2016 in New York City and will pay tribute to the rich history and power of the visual arts and performance in South Africa. In advance of this occasion, Performa announces its curatorial investigation and research program focused on Kenya, Morocco, Senegal and South Africa which will serve as one of the major components of the Performa 17 biennial. Beloved Country is co-chaired by Richard Chang, Wendy Fisher, Rashid Johnson, Toby Devan Lewis, Shirin Neshat, and Cindy Sherman.

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