Development, New Media Art and Gender in Contemporary Visual Art in Nouakchott (Mauritania)

Approach

Development. Qualitative Analysis. Socially Engaged Art.

Questions and comments to the author/s

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October 17, 2024 at 3:27 pm

Thanks Aicha for your nice presentation.
I have some questions regarding your research work:
First, which are the selection criteria for your "cases" or your selection of artists? Is it their difussion or impact?
Second, what are the differences between the concept of artist, "artivist" and "cultural entrepreneur"? Are they synonyms?
Thirdly, how do these artists relate the broader cultural field in Mauritania and in Africa? Is it possible to talk about a "South of the Sahara" artistic or "artivist" field?
And fourthly, how do these artivists relate to social movements in the countries?
Thanks a lot for such an interesting line of research.

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October 18, 2024 at 8:41 am

Dear Patricia. Thank you for your questions, as they address key concepts in my current line of research.

1. In the case studies I have presented in this preliminary study, the selection criteria were to include Mauritanian artists whose work addressed Development, New Media Art or Gender in their artworks, artistic practices or discourses. Moreover, the cases were selected taking into consideration the variety of art languages found within contemporary Socially Engaged Art (SEA) practices of artists based in Nouakchott.

2. "Artist" in this context is used to refer to creatives engaging in different activities that may include painting, photography, sculpture, cinema, installation, performance, music, dance, and other types of media. On the other hand, "artivist" is used to describe the artists that utilize political or cultural activism strategies in their work, while "cultural entrepreneur" refers in this context to people engaging with activities in the cultural field, such as the creation or organization of cultural or artistic events or spaces.

3. In short, in regard to the expression "South of the Sahara", Mauritanian artistic/activist expressions include social and aesthetic traits shared with other North and West African spaces.

4. Regarding the connection between social movements and the cases that I am working on, as it is often the case with contemporary SEA expressions, there are various instances in which the artworks, practices and artist discourses relate to online and/or offline social mobilizations, as well as to social activism in Mauritania or elsewhere. For example, the anti-slavery mobilizations by the IRA (Initiative pour la Resurgence du Mouvement Abolitioniste en Mauritanie) in Mauritania addressed in the series "Libre ou Esclave" by Saleh Lo that I have considered in the presentation.

I thank you again for your questions and for this interesting panel proposal.

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October 18, 2024 at 3:39 am

Dear Aicha Janeiro – Anne
Your topic is very interesting and suggests many ideas and questions:
If Morania's contemporary art was born in 1960 in the midst of the decolonization process, I would like to know if contemporary art contributed to the decolonization process and if so, how was that process?
Regarding the theoretical framework, could you tell us more about your theoretical references that allow you to problematize art, digitalization and social change in a post-colonial country?

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October 18, 2024 at 9:34 am

Dear , thank you for your questions.

The decolonization process in Mauritania is an interesting topic that will most likely constitute a chapter of the doctoral thesis I am currently developing.

As I have described in my presentation, the theoretical I use in this preliminar study, which is focused on how Development, New Media Art and Gender are considered in contemporary visual art in Nouakchott, is inscribed from the perspective of Socially Engaged Art, and considers these practices as citizen-led social and political actions contributing to empowerment and accountability within Development research recent considerations in this social and political context.

Thank you again for your interest and panel proposal.

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