Thursday 4 March 2010

Pop Up Court - Cultural Diversity on Trial

Last Saturday saw the Inivators Pop Up Court concept come to life. Following the creation of their 10 Commandments and Laws, the Inivators held their Diversity Hearing, to an audience of Jurors, with artist Yara El Sherbini sitting as the Judge, Bosola Ajenifuja representing the Prosecution and Samantha Cotton representing the Defence.


Here are a few images from the event.























Guess Who Tournament

On the 30th January 2010 the Inivators held their first ever Guess Who Tournament.

The Inivators had created their own version of the popular Guess Who boardgame which played with contemporary notions of stereotyping, and invited the public to come and compete against one another to win the title of Diversity Champion.

See images from the day below.




Congratulations to winner Eleanor Schinella, who blew all opposition to smithereens.






























Tuesday 2 February 2010

Anyone for some pie

Some of the work produced by the Inivators as part ‘Work in Progress’ was statistics that were used to illustrated who was genuinely being represented in Galleries in the United Kingdom.


The Inivators baked literal pie charts to demonstrate gender representation points.












Friday 22 January 2010

Inivators Present: Samantha Cotton

Name: Samantha Cotton


Name of Piece you are working on: Statistics

Art Skills/ Expertise: Ba Fine art student. Independent curator.

Other projects you are currently working on? At the moment I’m working mostly in my thesis and my degree show. Curating projects freelance here and there, so that takes most of my time.

What themes are in your work? I’m personally interested in Latin American art and it’s place in the International Art Market. When we talk about Global Art what are we really talking about?

How long have you been working with the Inivators?
This is my first year with the Inivators. I started in September 2009, although I had worked in other Iniva projects and courses and hopefully will take part in many more.

What do you think about Diversity in the Visual Arts? Is it still a major problem?
The biggest problem as that we actually believe that there is an equality and a real diversity in the Art world. During the Inivators projects the figures are clear and show how unequal the ground really is. In the realms of nationality we don’t consider migration and its effect on the artists and the art they produce. The gaps between men and women artists showing in different galleries and institutions is abysmal, which is quite shocking.


If you think it’s still a major problem, why do you think that? If you don’t what do you think has progressed?
The major problem is the lack of knowledge, or the lack of acceptance of the problem. We like to think we are all in equal grounds and the reality is quite far from that. We talk freely of a Gobalized art world and we don’t stop and think what this really means. Themes such as transculturalism, nationship, migration, gender equality seem to be dated and irrelevant now a days, but the reality is that they are still very much relevant to the exploration of the art world.


How have you found collaborating on Works in Progress?
It has been one of the most gratifying experiences. Not only working with an amazing group of people, but working with such interesting and broad subject and with very different inputs in its exploration. I believe it’s important to have

What do you think has inspired/ informed the piece you have been working on?
My personal work and thesis feed into my project very much. It has been a research process that I have been working with for the past 4 years and it only gets more interesting and challenging. I found Chin-Tao Wu’s article Biennals without borders an important starting point to start my own research on London galleries and the sort of relationship that they have to a diverse art world.

Wednesday 20 January 2010

What is the Progress Reports Exhibition actually about?

For those who are not familiar with Iniva's history the relevance of the Progress Reports exhibition could possibly be lost depending on your interest in diversity in the Visual Arts. So for a little context, it might be good to know that Iniva was founded 15 years ago to address the imbalance in the representation of culturally diverse artists, curators and writers, however Iniva later evolved into an institution that dealt with concepts of diversity in relation to contemporary society.

What diversity now means 15 years on from when Iniva started has changed drastically, with a wide array of international biennales and globalized art markets taking centre stage many asked whether or not the problem of representation had been solved? Stuart Hall the founding member of Iniva himself asked

"... Is the era and the goal of ‘cultural diversity' in the arts now over? Has the globalisation of the art world - "let a thousand biennales bloom" - 'solved' the problem?


The progress reports exhibition and programme aimed to delve further into these questions and really ask itself, what this could mean for Iniva and Visual Arts on a whole. Curating a multi-voiced exhibition and series of events exploring interpretations of ‘cultural diversity', .

Prevailing themes unravelled through discussion and debate lead many to the view that the vastness of the subject made it impossible to provide one perspective or one visualisation for an answer. It was decided that was needed was a multi-voiced programme that incorporated all of the departments of the within the Gallery, with contributions from the Stuart Hall Library, the Inivators and the use of both all project spaces to contribute to displaying of different perspectives and ideas linked into the exhibition.

In the main exhibition Manick Govinda from Artsadmin, Sally Lai from the Chinese Arts Centre and artist Zarina Bhimji selected artists. Oreet Ashery and Larissa Sansour show new graphic work; their bold mixture of art, politics, games, sci-fi and storytelling rebels against the stereotypes of the Middle East. Ashery is from Israel and Sansour from Palestine.


Artist Sanford Biggers' sculptures blend contemporary hip-hop expressions with Eastern Spiritualism, he presented a breakdance floor modelled on a Buddhist mandala.

Filmmaker and scholar Karen Alexander and filmmaker Campbell selected screenings by artists such as Kara Walker whose provocative films retell narratives around slavery and domination. In the film Kanku Ragu Hetain Patel realigns his body in relationship to nationhood. Harold Offeh shows work humorously re-interpreting Hollywood media representations of the asexual mammy figure.

The exhibition opened on the 28th January 2009 and runs until March 2009


Friday 15 January 2010

Ask Yara


Work in Progress is a collaborative project that has been executed by the Inivators alongside artist Yara El Sherbini. The Inivators thought it would be good to sit down with Yara and ask her a few questions about her work, practice and thoughts on the projects core topic.
Here’s what Yara had to say.

Q) What themes do you like to explore in your work?
A) The themes I explore in my work are quite diverse, as are my modes of production. I'm passionate about creating playful works which probe knowledge, questioning how we know what we know. The aim is to facilitate debate and dialogue around politically contentious and socially driven ideas; as wide reaching as ethics to relational aesthetics, propaganda to climate change, culture and identity, to the role and function of the artist, at all times questioning what art is, can be and who it involves.

Q) What current pieces are you working on/exhibiting?
A) I'm currently touring my game show 'Universality Challenge' a one hour live art work which asks questions such as 'Does the film Free Willy explore free will?'
I’m currently working towards an exhibition in March, where I'll be exhibiting an installation titled 'Critical Mass' , and hosting A Pub Quiz as well as presenting a new piece of work titled 'A Rather Trivial Pursuit'. I'll be hosting an after dinner board game event, where people can actively participate in the work.

Q)Do you think there is still a major problem regarding diversity in the visual arts?
A) I wouldn't say a major problem, but yes, I think there are still problems. One of my questions touches on an underlying problem:
Q: What is the opposite of ideal?
A: Real.

It would be wonderful if all the issues, which were so relevant in the 1980's had disappeared. They have shifted, but they are still there, from the language institutions use, to the way exhibitions are selected, I think we still need to realise that the real is often different from the ideal.

Q) What do you think about the role of collaboration in art projects.
A) I think collaboration offers a vital space to explore and develop ideas with an open mind and a multitude of opinions. You become open to compromise and moments of genius when you are working with other people. I have loved this aspect of the project.

Q) What have you enjoyed the most about working on the project
A) I have loved it all, it's been a wonderful experience getting to know so many creative talents and being part of the process of making work directly in response to the themes of Progress Report. Working in response to this theme has allowed us all to question, pull apart and respond to the issues.

Q) If you could sum the project up in one word what would that word be?
A) Fun

Q) You use a lot of humour to explore quite difficult subject matter, how do you think humour can be used to challenge perceptions?

A) I use humour as a sugar coating, to lighten up issues that can otherwise appear didactic. I'd like to think humour can challenge perceptions in the way it can say things that would otherwise be politically incorrect, or not even discussed. I'm interested in this tension, which can allow people to question their own assumptions and hopefully interrupt ways of seeing.

Q) You’ve previously used stand up comedy in your artistic practice, could you give us your favourite one liner?
A) A veiled women was arrested as a threat to national security.
She claimed she was working undercover.