For the performative group installation Nathi.Aha.Sasa. the artist Zohra Opoku has curated emerging and, with one exception, female artistic positions from different countries of the African continent.

With: Lois Selasie Arde-Acquah, Kathleen Bomani, Lebohang Kganye, Sheila Nakitende, mahlOt Sansosa, Steloolive, Nelisiwe Xaba, Helen Zeru

Part of the Performance turns into an interdisciplinary and inspiring setting between photography, video, sculpture, live art, performance, dance, and music – into a temporary afrofuturistic and feminized space.

Performatively charged and bursting with innovative power, Nathi.Aha.Sasa. is an homage to the rich, contemporary art scene of Africa and a gathering of a generation of artists and their intensive processing of their African herstory.

At the heart of the work of the Ghanaian artist Lois Selasie Arde-Acquah is the meticulous production process of textile designs, which she creates, based on traditional wax prints.

Sheila Nakitende is an interdisciplinary artist from Uganda who, after painting and installation, discovered performance art for herself. The diversity of her artistic expression reflects her experiences in real life as an artist in her homeland. The social, political and economic contexts flow into her works, addressing social inequalities and trying to overcome them.

Lebohang Kganye, born in 1990, lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa. Lebohang’s photographs explore her personal story by merging the own biography with those of her ancestors.

mahlOt Sansosa was born in 1982 in Brazil and lives and works between New York, Arusha, and Bahia. She fragments the concept of authenticity through performance, video and photography, creating space for hybrid and fluid identities, with a focus on self-determination and intersectionality. On Saturday, mahlOt Sansosa invites the other participating artists to a performative panel to collectively reflect on the relevance of selfhood within minority identify and self authorship through the lens of female subjectivity – the socio performative self and beyond.

Kathleen Bomani, from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, is a multifaceted cultivator. Her work negotiates and acts as a connecting line between the West and the often grossly misinterpreted Africa. Her work speaks openly about misunderstandings and makes energetic space for balanced narratives.

Helen Zeru was born in 1987 in Addis Ababa. Helen Zeru works with photography, video, performance, painting, and charcoal drawings. Her work often begins as a reflection of personal and emotional issues, then plunges deeper into a broader social context and touches relevant and urgent social issues.

Born and raised in Dube, Soweto, Nelisiwe Xaba began her international career in dance almost 20 years ago. Since then, Xaba has been involved in a number of projects, working with artists from the fields of fine arts, fashion design, theatre and television, literature, and music. Xabas groundbreaking works, such as her dance duet with Kettly Noel, have toured around the world. As part of Nathi.Aha.Sasa. she will present a world premiere.

The artist Steloolive is exceptional in many areas, and not only because he is the only male artist in this program. Even in his home, Accra, he is known as a multi-regional border-crosser. Steloolive is a sound artist, and, as a fashion DJ, he mixes not only fashions and media (fashion, photography, sound), but also house music with traditional beats. With his mission to re-write African music history, he will be in Vienna for the first time.

Programme: 

8. June
featuring Steloolive (unplugged), Lois Selasie Arde-Acquah (Performance-Installation), Lebohang Kganye (Performance), Helen Zeru (Performance)

9. June
featuring Lois Selasie Arde-Acquah (Performance-Installation), Sheila Nakitende (Performance), Lebohang Kganye (Performance), mahlOt Sansosa (Performance), Steloolive (Dj Set + Party)

10. June
7 PM Nathi.Aha.Sasa. (Us.Here.Now.) – performative panel
with Lois Selasie Arde-Acquah, Kathleen Bomani, Lebohang Kganye, Sheila Nakitende,  Nelisiwe Xaba and Helen Zeru
Concept and moderation mahlOt Sansosa
Language: English
With performances of Helen Zeru (Panel Intro) and Nelisiwe Xaba (world premiere)

11. June
featuring Lois Selasie Arde-Acquah (Performance-Installation), Sheila Nakitende (Performance), Nelisiwe Xaba (Dance), Steloolive (unplugged)

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Location: Performeum, Halle 4
Prices: EUR 20,-
Language: English
Exhibition: 6 pm – 10 pm; Performative program from 7 pm

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