‍Dear readers, supporters, contributors and friends of EVC,

As 2021 is slowly coming to an end, we want to take the time to reflect on everything that we accomplished together. From an abundance of new objects from all over the world and exciting exhibition projects to our collaboration with documenta 15 - there is a lot to be proud of.

And there is yet more to come: Whether the Garden of Paradise, a ritual from East Africa,  German contemporary art or traditional Chinese painting, new meetings, lectures and conferences... Read below for our most recent updates. 

In 2022, we are looking forward to meeting and connecting with more people and learning more about our visual cultures. Stay tuned!

Best regards,

Avi, Ernst and Rosa

on behalf of the EVC team

Annual review 2021 by Avi Sooful

‍

The Exploring Visual Cultures Project (EVC) has grown from strength to strength amongst great challenges imposed by the pandemic that retains its grip on the world in 2021. I must admit that the pandemic placed enormous strain on our work, including international cooperation.

However, we have had many successful events this year, most important is the joint work on the book "Visual Cultures of Africa". The manuscript has been with the publisher for ten days and will be launched as an open access publication in February with 24 chapters. The publication provides exciting insights by various academics on current discourses. This publication, as well as the EVC newsletter, which was initiated at the beginning of this year, remains an important tool of transparent communication of an increasingly complex Project. There were six newsletters issued that reported on the EVC journey during 2021.

Amidst the 2021 chaos created by the pandemic, the EVC Project grew its database on the website to 74 entries. Our colleagues in Munich are extending themselves, working flat out to create a platform that will allow the direct integration of videos as well as interactive images that will be available in January. This expands the possibilities of information that we will share with you on the website. The year was also a year of many public lectures (more than ever before) that allowed presenters from many countries to share their expertise and engaged the viewership on questions relating to their lecture presentations.

The “Galleries” section has also been expanded, we now have two types of exhibitions: re-reading existing shows (like the Museum Fünf Kontinente in Munich, published in February) and exhibitions by artists (like Back Coupling, published in July). The first joint exhibition of all partners on the theme of "Collective Memory" is currently being created, as is the first solo exhibition of an artist from Ghana. So, it remains exciting here, too.

The EVC Project has successfully entered the second phase of the innovative network, now based at the University of Augsburg in collaboration with documenta fifteen. It is envisaged that 2022 will be the successful completion of the first phase and breaking new ground with various documenta activities. We will keep you updated on the progress of these activities as these activities straddle a global community of collaborators.

I must state that what we have achieved would not have been possible without the incredible support from an Expert Panel. This Panel consisting of my wonderful colleagues from Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Cameroon, and Germany remain the essential backbone of the EVC Project. At our last meeting, we welcomed a new member from China onto our Panel. This means that we extend ourselves across from Africa, over Europe to the East. We had seven online meetings this year and all minutes are available on our online archive.

2021 has been an incredible year for the EVC Project and we take this wonderful spirit into the new year. We also take this opportunity to wish you happy holidays and a prosperous new year!

Avi Sooful

Chair of the Expert Panel

Find a few highlights of the last weeks below

News‍

New Objects‍ on the Website

New Entry to the Lab

A new contributuion by our partner Ming Zhang from Jinan, in Shandong / China, gives an insight in art education in China.

Exploring Visual Cultures is collaborative project of the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich with universities, artists and museums around the world, funded by Engagement Global in the context of implementing the objectives of the Global Learning Framework, and the Bavarian State Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs.

Contact: info@explore-vc.org