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| Okereke Emeka Born in 1980 in Aba, Nigeria. Lives and works in Germany and Nigeria. My work as an artist explores the relations between people within the context of homogeneity as well as cultural diversity. As an artist constantly at a crossroad of several cultures, I am convinced that cultural diversity –when well exploited– is of an immense benefit to humanity. This exhibition presents the photographic and video work that I initiated during June and July 2008, in Maputo, Mozambique. It is called Bagamoyo –photography and the public space. The project has two objectives: The first, rooted in the photographic content, deals with the blending of people in a common space. The Maputo bay, situated at a point where the ocean partially divides the city into two, forms a sort of common point between the temporary and permanent inhabitants of Maputo due to the constant back and forth movement between the two settlements (Maputo-Catembe). The ferry boat, known as Bagamoyo, carrying goods, vehicles and people to and from the two sides, serves as a melting pot of tourists, foreigners and indigenes of Maputo. It also stands as a symbolic object which assembles diverse cultures, activities and people into a defined space. My idea is to evaluate the outcome of such a mixture through a constant revisiting of the space and a documentation of the reactions. The second objective looks at presentation. The photos were exhibited at the vicinity where they were made: the harbour -at the Catembe side. The photos are mounted along the length of the bridge with the aid of supporting poles. The prints are made on PVC and its dimensions are 120 x150cm each. They were seen by those who form the subject of the photographic content, as well as by a large number of people who had a direct and unrestricted access to this venue. The idea is based on the concept of exploration of unusual but useful space, as an essential part of the creative process but furthermore addresses the issues related to the gap between photography and the public space: it supports the notion that artists and art practioners (especially Africans) of today ought to look at more ways of (also) reaching the indigenous public, breaking through the boundaries of restrictions erected by “formal exhibition spaces”. The most important question to be asked here is: how can we broaden the practices of art and encourage a diversified public in an era streamlined and monopolised by rigid institutional methods of art practices?  Download CV |  Bagamoyo - Photography and the Public Space |
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