The Vertical Jungle; Salon Orizzonti Occupati - Vienna Secession

Here are some details and a close-up of my drawing that was in exhibition during Isola Art Center's salon in Utopian Pulse – Flares in the Darkroom. The drawing is part of a series of drawings and a story I wrote all under the title The Vertical Jungle. The prototype of the storybook have been in several exhibitions with Isola Art Center such as the exhibition 1:1 at MSUM in  Ljubljana. The book is being revised and improved, so more about that in the future.

(The photographs are not exactly the best, if anyone has some tips on how to photograph big drawings).

Workshop, Middelburg,South Africa.

I am currently leading a workshop in Mlhuzi, the township attached to Middelburg (Mpumalanga) the town I grew up in. I worked with a new NGO Uprising Youth Movement. These young guys from Mhluzi started this to empower the youth there. 

I have to confess that it is my first time in Mhluzi (and a township) even though I grew up right here in Middelburg. I realized I still had a ton of misconceptions about this township and it was good to have them all shattered.

Uprising Youth Movement are great hosts and the guys in the workshop are really making it so much fun for me. The participants of the workshop are between 19 and 22. They all came based on their interest in artistic fields. They are really a wide group; aspiring poets, dancers, actors and visual artists. 

I introduced them to some of my work and mainly to the things we do at Isola Art Center; introducing the ideas of collective work, Fight-specific art, using your art within your neighborhood and working with small or no-budgets.  

I have to say the outcome of the workshop surpassed my expectations.My original plan was to create a fictional newspaper with them that interpreted their battles in their town  into illustrated stories but it has developed based on the interests of these participants into a theater piece that they now wish to carry on and develop even after this one week workshop.

The starting point of the workshop to talk about their local fights in the community. They mentioned a few things, also mentioning the struggle of learning and developing as artists when they are isolated from main art scenes and do not have access to formal educations. I am wondering how one can introduce support into small towns so that these youths can have more access and contact?

The one issue that came out as their biggest fight was the fight against the drug Nyaope which has led to the death of many of their peers, but is also a large source of violence and crime in the neighborhood. It also seems that there is a lot corruption and under the table deals between authorities and drug dealers.The guys decided to take on this for their project and is now writing script and thinking about how to perform it. They also told me that they hope to continue doing projects with each other after the workshop which is I think the best outcome one can hope for. 

Thank you to all the guys participating, Uprising Youth Movement and the church that gave us the venue to work in.  More pics to come at the end of the week.  Most of the pics below were taken by the participants themselves using my canon 350 D. 

ONGOING FIGHT-SPECIFIC ISOLA in Venice

A cura di Valeria Mancinelli e Camilla Pin
Con Emanuel Balbinot, Dafne Boggeri, Emanuele Braga, Antonio Brizioli, Tania Bruguera, Angelo Castucci, Walter Donaldson, Naima Faraò, Giuseppe Fanizza, Maddalena Fragnito, Igor Francia, Fuori Dal Vaso, Edna Gee, Isola Art’s Club Band, KINGS, Andrea Kunkl, Valeria Muledda, Denis C. Novello, Walter Novello, Vincenzo Onida, out, Maria Papadimitriou, Dan Perjovschi, Steve Piccolo, Edith Poirier, Rhaze, Daniele Rossi, Gak Sato, Christoph Schäfer, Mariette Schiltz, Mirko Smerdel, Bert Theis, Camilla Topuntoli, Stefano Topuntoli, Flora Vannini, Daniele Vitale (Archivio Politecnico), Wei-Ning Yang.

La mostra presenta la complessità del percorso di Isola Art Center e dei conflitti urbani che hanno segnato il quartiere, una sperimentazione che dagli anni Settanta a oggi è in continuo mutamento e ha trovato il modo di rinnovarsi e rimanere radicata al territorio. Attraverso pubblicazioni, disegni e installazioni verranno narrate le due modalità di azione di Isola Art Center: i contro progetti alla gentrificazione del quartiere e la creazione di immaginari altri realizzati dagli artisti a sostegno della lotta dai primi anni Duemila a oggi. Parte integrante della mostra sarà anche l’esperienza, tuttora in corso, di Isola Pepe Verde che sta realizzando uno spazio verde autogestito, comunitario e dal basso per il quartiere.

Il giorno dell'inaugurazione alle ore 18 verrà presentato il nuovo lavoro CULTURE DON’T GROW ON TREES. Video di Emanuel Balbinot, Angelo Castucci, Edith Poirier, Mariette Schiltz, Bert Theis, Flora Vannini e Wei-Ning Yang. Musica: Walter Donaldson - Testo: Steve Piccolo - Voce: Naima Faraò, Steve Piccolo - Stilofono: Naima Faraò - Basso: Igor Francia - Chitarra: Denis C. Novello - Percussioni: Walter Novello - Fagotto: Vincenzo Onida - Ukulele: Steve Piccolo - Theremin: Gak Sato.

Dalle ore 19:30 alle 21:30, inoltre, sarà presente il laboratorio di produzione serigrafica con stampe di Maddalena Fragnito, Edna Gee, Dan Perjovschi, Camilla Pin, Edith Poirier, Daniele Rossi.
S.a.L.E. Docks

Dorsoduro 265
Punta della Dogana
Venezia
http://www.saledocks.org

Silkscreen workshop * Ongoing Fight-Specific Isola in Venice *

    
      Photograph by Leah Corra Messersmith.

The book Fight Specific Isola coming to South Africa

I will be heading back to South Africa soon, and I can bring with me some copies of the books Fight Specific Isola. It is a great book for those interested in the role of art in urban transformation, urban theory and social movements. It has various contributors: Bert Theis (Isola Art Center), Charles Esche (director,Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven), Gerald Raunig (philospher, Vienna), Christoph Schafer (Park Fiction, Hamburg) Atelier d'Architecture Autogeree (Paris), Tiziana Villani (philosopher, Milan) and so on. A very particular case study worth reading. The book costs 20 euro, so about R 280. If anyone is interested in a copy, send me an email: ednagee@gmail.com 

"The publication traces the long history of the Isola area of Milan and the organic, spontaneous progress of the Isola Art Center over the past 10 years and more. 

Featuring texts and many images, the book tells the story of an artistic and urban transformation, led by artists, who often had to invent tools and concepts along the way. Fight-Specific Isola serves as an example of how to act on the ground in today’s urban condition. 

Different narratives of history, artistic intervention and action allow the reader to trace the complex idea of collectivity, solidarity and “fight-specificity”. 

Testing new terms such as “dirty cube” and “dispersed center” this book shows a possible way to respond to the constant pressure of neoliberal development and gentrification".

To see more information:http://www.isolartcenter.org/index_eng.php

The contents:

Isola Art Center went to Ljubljana

With Isola Art Center I went to Ljubljana, a beautiful city in Slovenia, to participate in the exhibition 1:1 curated by Zdenka Badovinac at the Museum of Contemporary art (MSUM). We spent a week installing and preparing the space to for our Lab Fight-specific Isola.  In exhibition was also the prototype of the book I am working on. Some images from the installation and exhibition and workshop we did. There are more photos on Isola Art Center Facebook page and site.

In Ljubljana, from the roof of the museum.

Figuring out the installation and placement

 Me and Edith printing during the exhibition opening.

 Working on little portraits of the Lab Fight-Specific Isola crew member.

 Our space from one angle.

 Us working on the mural, citing an old mural in Isola, Milan from the 1970's. 

 We flew the cloud of Nicola Uzunovski

 The prototype of my book in progress.

 The stencils of me, Bert Theis and Edith Poirier along with the work of Tania Bruguera "Revolution is on hold"

 During the opening.

The crew in Milan before departure.

And to finish, a fun video made by Camilla Topuntoli of the week.

LAB FIGHT SPECIFIC ISOLA 4ACT from Camilla Topuntoli on Vimeo.

Moments and things.

I try to do a weekly drawing/ moment which I post on Instagram and Facebook.

The sea spew out everything. 

There are moments when it is hard to focus on work and one needs to be pulled back to earth.

Chocolate slogan cake

Inspiration: detail of Mountains by Matteo Rubbi

Autumn