Until November 24, the exhibition “Passengers in Transit” opens at the art space of the 193 Gallery. As a collateral event of the Venice Biennale 2024, it offers content in reference to the theme of the fair: “Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere”. The exhibition welcomes five female Afro-descendant artists from Africa, the Caribbean and the United States, namely April Bey, Christa David, Euridice Zaituna Kala, Joana Choumali and Thandiwe Muriu. Emerging and established artists, they invite the Parisian public on a journey to the heart of the complexities of foreignness, identity and belonging within the global community.
“Passengers in Transit” is an exhibition through which contemporary artists April Bey, Christa David, Euridice Zaituna Kala, Joana Choumali and Thandiwe Muriu reveal their disparate practice of art. These interdisciplinary processes serve as a compass to navigate the convergence of identity, gender, memory, and place. Each of the works, in its own way, engages with history and fiction, prompting audiences to reflect on the representation of black bodies in the contemporary world and speculate on possible futures.
April Bey
April Bey was born and raised in the Bahamas. She currently lives in Los Angeles as a visual artist and professor at Glendale College, and takes a multidisciplinary approach to her art. In terms of artistic approach, her work is an introspective and social critique of American and Bahamian culture, feminism, generational theory, social media, Afrofuturism, Afrosurrealism, postcolonialism, and racial constructs within supremacist systems.
Her creative approach is as diverse as her mediums, offering a pluralistic art that addresses many themes of today’s society. With an eye for detail, April Bey dedicates a great deal of time to handcrafting her designs and uses materials sourced from Black women-owned businesses. It’s safe to say that feminism is reflected in the details, adding depth to her work.
Christa David
A visual artist, writer, and researcher, Christa David skillfully fuses the mediums of painting, collage, and assemblage to weave narratives about home, belonging, faith, and identity. Her creative process is inspired by the works of Romare Bearden, Wangechi Mutu, and Alma Woodsey Thomas, as well as the writings of James Baldwin.
Born in 1979 in the United States, the contemporary artist states: “I use my work to sort through my feelings and thoughts about the complex and enduring mark of structural racism in the United States and its impact on my life/body and the lives/bodies of those like me.” This artistic approach resonates deeply with the theme of the exhibition “Passengers in Transit“, offering the public the opportunity to discover the relevance and richness of her creative talent.
Euridice Zaituna Kala
Born in 1987 in Maputo, Mozambique, Euridice Zaituna Kala lives and works in Maisons-Alfort. As an artist and teacher, she focuses on cultural and historical metamorphoses, exploring the manipulations and adaptations of these narratives. She appropriates the visual vocabulary of historical archives to reveal their subjectivities, as well as those of the voices often reduced to silence.
Navigating between various mediums such as performance, installation, photography, text, video, sculpture and sound, Euridice Zaituna Kala questions the appropriation of black bodies through their representation in archives. Rather than seizing their history, she strives to reaffirm their existence and dignity.
Joana Choumali
Ivorian visual artist and photographer, Joana Choumali enriches “Passengers in Transit” with her embroidered photographs, making this experience even more unique. Known for her singular and particularly moving shots, her approach to art focuses on conceptual portraiture, mixed media and documentary photography, allowing the public to delve into the heart of the themes of identity and belonging.
Thandiwe Muriu
A contemporary artist with an atypical background, Thandiwe Muriu uses her art as a vibrant tribute to the beauty of Africa. As a self-taught artist, she strives to highlight the richness of the continent’s unique blends of vibrant textiles, cultural practices and ideologies, giving life to creations that are both unusual and captivating.
With her undeniable talent for photography, she captivates the public while inviting them to question crucial themes such as identity and self-perception, while aspiring to redefine women’s empowerment.
“Passengers in Transit” is a vibrant call to visitors, inviting them to embark on a visual journey of self-discovery within a social context. This perspective is inspired by the philosophical reflections of Levinas, Waldernfels and Édouard Glissant’s right to opacity, thus underlining the essential importance of recognizing and respecting diversity.