Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Interactive video presentation at 2:30pm
L140 Elvehjem Building
800 University Avenue
Discussion with film-maker and video artist Zina Saro-Wiwa to follow.
(Audience members are welcome to participate in Zina Saro-Wiwa’s project. Attending the event does not obligate participation.)
About the project
Eaten By The Heart is a video installation conceived and created by Zina Saro-Wiwa that explores love and intimacy amongst Africans and African diasporic peoples. A people that are experiencing shifts in the expression and performance of love.
For this piece, Zina is traveling to different towns and cities in America to conduct interviews with individuals about heartbreak, love and loss, as well as record “kissing performances” with Africans and some African Diasporans. These performances will result in an immersive video installation piece that act as a meditative aid to these questions about the nature of black and African love. The interviews will form part of a documentary series on Love and Africans.
Participate
Audience members are invited to participate in Zina Saro-Wiwa’s project. Attending the event does not obligate participation. Video artist and documentary-maker Zina Saro-Wiwa is calling on Africans and African Diasporans aged 18-90 to participate in a discussion and interview sessions discussing, love, kissing, heartbreak and intimacy from the African perspective. Zina is also looking for Africans or African diasporans prepared to kiss for the camera.
About the artist
Zina Saro-Wiwa is a British Nigerian film-maker and video artist. Formerly a BBC journalist, Zina now lives in New York City. Her work aims to “re-imaginine” Africa and her video art practice focuses on the mapping of emotional landscapes, its resulting performative behaviors and exploring cross cultural implications.
Her award-winning documentary This Is My Africa has been shown at festivals and galleries around the world and was shown on HBO from 2010-2012. In 2010 Zina curated a show about Nollywood titled, Sharon Stone in Abuja featuring new works by major artists including Mickalene Thomas, Wangechi Mutu, Andrew Esiebo and Pieter Hugo that showed at Location One Gallery in Soho, New York. In 2012 she did a short Op-Doc about the Natural Hair Movement amongst black women for The New York Times. In the November and December 2012 her video work will appear in a major three venue show titled, The Progress of Love which explores the idea of Love in Africa. The show will take place The Menil Collection in Texas, The Pulitzer Foundation in St Louis and CCA Gallery in Lagos, Nigeria. Zina will show her video installations concerning the act of mourning at the Pulitzer Foundation and Eaten By The Heart will appear at The Menil Museum and also on the website.