5 To See: This Weekend

With continuous outbreaks of conflict, instability and change across the world, 5 To See for 30 June – 2 July reminds us of the importance of remaining connected and reaching out to those around us. Susan Hefuna invites local immigrants of Manchester to take part in a performance to embrace their presence and contribution to their local community. Otobong Nkanga explores the intersection of humans and nature within documenta14 to question notions of home. The exhibition COMMON GROUND#3 considers the idea of a trans local gaze. Taloi Havini explores the impact of the Panguna mine on a sense of place and home and Tomáš Rafa challenges prejudices across Central Europe. 

  1. Susan Hefuna, To Gather, Manchester International Festival, Manchester
    Taking the form of an exhibition and a performance, Susan Hefuna’s work invites the viewer to take part in a discussion surrounding the pressing issues of migration, movement and separation. Opening on 30 June the exhibition is structured as a mental map, where a series of palm wood structures have been filled with drawings, personal objects and vitrines contributed by local immigrants. For the main event local residents from across the globe will walk through Whitworth Park on 9 July. Their movements will be embraced by dancers and a range of food stemming from the migrants home communities will be shared.
  2. Otobong Nkanga, Carved To Flow, Neue Gallerie, Kassel
    Until 17 September Otobong Nikanga’s installation Carved to Flow, will be on display within documenta14. Met with daily performances, Nkanga explores a range of traces left by both nature and humans. Working across the media of drawing, installation, video and performance the works question how natural resources reflect human emotions and thoughts of greed, pain, hope and knowledge. Thinking through ideas of land, home and displacement the viewer is also able to question and envisage stories surrounding the land.
  3. COMMON GROUND#3, Where the Circles Intersect, Kleine Humboldt Gallerie, Berlin
    A group exhibition compromising of six artists reflects upon the relationship between the local and global. Though the artists currently reside in different locations they all think of the Indian subcontinent as being home. This common ground, allows them to ask how the process of migration impacts on the way images are viewed and whether it is possible to look from a trans local perspective. With works by Yogesh Barve, Ragini Bhow, Nihaal Faizal, Oliver Husain, Poonam Jain and Tara Kelton. Running until 18 July the viewer is invited to decipher and question their own familiar ground.
  4. Taloi Havini, Habitat, Palais de Tokyo, Paris
    Continuing to explore notions of place and home Taloi Havini travels through Bougainville Island in Papua New Guinea to explore Panguna mine. Between 1972 and 1989 it had been between one of the largest open-air copper mines in the world. Causing the outbreak of a civil war, leading to several deaths, the mines presence left lasting scars on its inhabitants. By filming the local area through both close up shots of people searching for gold and distanced images of aerial plans, Havini reflects on the political, social and economic impact of the site and adds to the current debate surrounding its potential reopening. On until 10 Sept.
  5. Tomáš Rafa, New Nationalisms, MoMA PS1, New York
    Since 2009, Tomáš Rafa has utilised modes of cinema to document notions of nationalism within Central Europe. Exploring conflict through capturing political demonstrations, blockades and protests New Nationalisms questions the presence of prejudice and resentment within society. The work challenges extreme right-wing, xenophobic, and neofascist groups and offers positive social activism as an alternative. Screened in galleries across Europe, MoMA PS1 plays host until 10 Sept.

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Credits
1. Habitat (Three-channel digital video installation, HD, colour, surround sound, 10’40), 2017, ©Taloi Havini