Group Exhibition. Staging Times – an inter-African encounter between photography and theater

With works by Lebohang Kganye, Aboubacar Traoré, Sarah Waiswa, Thokozani Kapiri, Noël Minoungou and Freddy Sabimbona.

Time is more than a fixed unit of measurement. It defines us and we define it. Every second anew. On the one hand, viewed objectively, it passes precisely and continuously; on the other hand, perceived subjectively, it can fly by at breakneck speed or drag on agonizingly slowly. Even the supposedly clear dividing lines between the individual levels of time become blurred upon closer examination: the past interferes with the present, which was just the future and as such is decisive for our planning and actions. In addition to personal experiences, the society and epoch in which we live also shape our perception of and approach to time.

As part of the project “Staging Times”, artists from six different countries (Mali, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa) worked together on the topic of “time” between 2018 and 2020.

The design of the project followed a ping-pong format: the photographers’ images served as the starting point for the theater artists’ productions. Conversely, the theater performances became the source of inspiration for further image series.

This resulted in multi-layered visual worlds in which crises of the present intertwine with apocalyptic futures and traumatic pasts to create a multi-layered reflection on being in the world from various African perspectives.

After the theater pieces, both in their country of origin and at the international festival “Buja sans Tabou”, were shown together with a selection of the photos in Burundi, the project can now be seen at IAF Basel 2021.