Minutes of the 26th meeting
Present: Ebenezer Acquah, Juste Constant Onana Amougui, Patrique deGraft-Yankson, Mary Claire Kidenda, Lize Kriel, Runette Kruger, Suki Mwendwa, Jane Otieno, Nicola Pauli, Christian Römmelt, Avi Sooful, Bernadette Van Haute, Ernst Wagner
Apologies: Paul-Henri Souvenir Assako Assako, Ruth Belinga, Osuanyi Essel, Stefan Eisenhofer, Constanze Kirchner
Guests: Michaela Almog, Lydia Muthuma, Karin Wimmer
Reflection on the AI conference
This conference was perceived as innovative, inspiring and fruitful by all participants. The Expert Panel expressed its sincere gratitude to Mary Clare and her team for taking on this huge task and for carrying it out so successfully. The impulses arising from the conference must be taken up and should lead to further (interim) results being published.
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Follow-up of the AI conference: further collaboration on the topic AI / publication?
Options for publication are the journals “Image & Text” (University of Pretoria), UNESCO publications, “Arts & Humanities” and “The Conversation – Africa”.
Supplement Dec. 5: To continue the AI conference, a task force was formed with Lydia and Flora (TUK), Kyle (UP), and Ernst and Karin (LMU) under Lydia's leadership. As a starting point, they will analyze and cluster the conference abstracts according to overarching topics. The group will then make suggestions for further action.
Topic of the next virtual exhibition / conference
IIdeas for an EVC theme for next year were collected: Trans-disciplinarity; Breaking barriers to visual communication; World-making; Subjectivity; AI 2.0; and Artificial creativity. A decision has not been made and a call for further ideas was tabled. Ernst will collate all submissions for discussion at the next meeting.
National Art History Day in Douala, Cameroon, 7.-9. April 2025
Paul invited EVC panel members to collaborate with EVC Cameroon on a conference on the occasion of the Art History Days in Douala, Cameroon in April 2025. The Expert Panel agreed, also permitting the use of EVC’s logo. As soon as the call for participation is ready, it will be distributed to the members of the Expert Panel.
Transnational project on “heritage / objects / museums”
Michaela, Karin & Ernst are in the process of collaborations within EVC, involving museums in Kenya, South Africa, Ghana and Germany. Runette is going to coordinate this for South Africa, Jane for Kenya, Michaela, Karin & Ernst for Germany (in collaboration with Malik Saako from the National Museum in Accra). Working title: (Un-)Told Stories - narratives between Africa and Europe. The consortium is seeking funding at the moment.
New Futures Art Collaborative – residencies in Johannesburg: Allan (IOFC USA), Isadora & Elsa (Brazil, France)
Avi and Ernst informed on a residency program in Johannesburg that emerged from the last EVC conference in Pretoria. It is coordinated by Isadora (Brazil) & Elsa (France). Under the title “New Futures Art Collaborative” 12 artists (20 – 30 years old) will be invited to attend an online training program first and then a 6-week residency in South Africa from 19/05/2025 until 30/06/2025. EVC serves as an academic partner for the curriculum design and announces the call amongst (postgraduate) students.
Possible cooperation with Ghent University, Belgium
Kris Rutten, Ghent University (https://research.ugent.be/web/person/kris-rutten-0/en) visited the University of Pretoria, where he showed interest in cooperating with EVC on the topic of global North and South collaborations. Lize and Avi are in conversation with Kris with an option for a conference in Belgium on this topic – in cooperation with EVC.
Date of the next meeting
January 2025, date to be confirmed.
