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Event: Future Assembly Exhibition “It’s also a Solo Journey” and Artists’ Platforms, 29 April – 22 May 2016, London

By Africa in Words on 8 May , 2016 • ( 1 )

New art initiative Future Assembly

announces

Session One Exhibition and Public Programme

It’s also a Solo Journey, News of the world gallery, 50 Resolution Way, Deptford, London, SE8
4NT, 29 April to 22 May 2016

Artists’ Platforms, Diaspora and Transnational Exchange in the Digital Age: A Conversation,
Green Room, Chelsea College of Arts, London, 10 May 2016, 18.00-20.00

picture courtesy of Logo Oluwamuyiwa, Monochrome Lagos (2013-)

Future Assembly, a new, London-based professional development platform for emerging artists from Africa and its Diaspora today announces its first Exhibition and Public Programme. Conceived and developed by curator Hansi Momodu-Gordon and supported by Arts Council England, Future Assembly aims to build a reputable alumnus of artists who will invigorate local and international art scenes with new perspectives. The first Future Assembly residency programme runs throughout April-May 2016 and the inaugural artist, selected in partnership with the African Artists’ Foundation is Lagos-based photographer Logo Oluwamuyiwa.

Picture courtesy of Logo Oluwamuyiwa, Monochrome Lagos (2013-)

Opening at Deptford gallery, News of the World on 29 April 2016, Oluwamuyiwa’s solo exhibition It’s Also a Solo Journey traces ‘a subtle story of what it is like to be young and urban-living at a time like this’ through selected works from the artists Monochrome Lagos series (2013-). The exhibition presents Oluwamuyiwa’s perspectives on Lagos, the city in which he was born and raised. Conceived as an ongoing study rather than a definitive statement, Oluwamuyiwa undertakes photo-walks across his city in search of the nuances and narratives of Lagos. Stripping the city of it’s most recognisable features, Oluwamuiywa’s black and white images of Lagos seek to uncover what lies beyond the initial dazzle of its vibrant colour palette and the hum of its unrelenting noise.

The artist’s image making draws on both documentary and conceptual modes to combine narrative with an exploration of form as he maps the visual landscape of the city, its architecture and street life. Recurrent themes within Monochrome Lagos include theatrical arrangements of outdoor commerce, the human form in juxtaposition with background surface and the play of light and shadow under the city’s harsh, bright sun; the artist says, “it is the most torturous natural element that the resident will have to battle as he or she goes about life outdoors.” Recurrent too are images that capture moments of human isolation in crowded, shared spaces. It’s Also a Solo Journey foregrounds Oluwamuyiwa’s preoccupation with exposing these individual voices.

On the 4 May, Logo Oluwamuyiwa will be in conversation with curator Shoair Mavlian at

Picture courtesy of Logo Oluwamuyiwa, Monochrome Lagos (2013-)

Autograph ABP. In his on going body of work Monochrome Lagos (2013-) Oluwamuyiwa has created an extensive archive of arresting images of urban life in one of the world’s most populated cities. This expansive digital archive of black and white images is disseminated through Tumblr and Instagram to audiences across the globe. Hear the artist discuss this engaging body of work with curator Shoair Mavlian. Shoair Mavlian is a curator at Tate Modern, London, focusing primarily on photography.

A second public event, organised in conjunction with The University of the Arts Research Centre for Transnational Art, Identity and Nation (TrAIN), will take place on 10 May. Transnational exchange and dialogue is at the heart of Future Assembly and Artists’ Platforms, Diaspora and Transnational Exchange in the Digital Age: A Conversation will see London-based artists Junior Boakye-Yiadom and Isaac Kariuki join Logo Oluwaniyuwa to debate how real world and online artist platforms and networks are facilitating transnational exchange and how the relationships between Diaspora artists and audiences shifting in the globalised art world. Chaired by Professor Paul Godwin, the session reflects Future Assembly’s ambition to create multiple layers of connection whilst giving arts professionals in England an opportunity to extend their network of artists from Africa and its Diaspora.

News of the world gallery, 50 Resolution Way, Deptford, London, SE8 4NT, 29 April to 22 May 2016. Opening hours: Friday – Sunday 12 – 6pm