We Don’t Contemporary

Motivated by the academic discipline "Critical Whiteness" and the criticism expressed by the Tanzanian native Safia Dickersbach regarding the “asymmetric” concept of the TURN Fund, the art and cultural centre Kampnagel launched the project “We Don’t Contemporary” to develop alternative curatorial concepts for transcultural cooperation. The organisers of this festival and artist-in-residence programme invited numerous guest curators, including the dance theorist and dramaturge Mariem Guellouz, the fashion designer and artist Zohra Opuku and the choreographer and dance curator Hafiz Dhaou, to present their own visions of contemporary African art and to select artists for a short residence and presentation as part of the festival.

The second part of the festival, directed by Nadine Jessen and Caroline Spellenberg, featured guest performances by Bouchra Ouizgen, Ariel Efraim Ashbel, Young Jean Lee and others who theoretically and artistically address the questions and issues of “Critical Whiteness”. Their works also examined transcultural and queer body and art concepts, as well as hybrids of traditional African and European (sub)cultures. The guest performances of African, African-American and non-African artists were accompanied by a series of lectures held by theorists in this discipline.

Artistic directora: Nadine Jessen and Caroline Spellenberg (DE)
Participants: Bouchra Ouizgen (MA), Ariel Efraim Ashbel (DE), Young Jean Lee (US), Brett Bailey, Aïcha M’Barek und Hafiz Dhaou (TN), Zohra Opuku (GHA) and others