Letters from the Wilderness to Prince Babatunde Jellah Epega by Joe Pollitt

25/10/2019

My Dearest Prince Babatunde Jellah Epega,

Greetings from Royal Tunbridge Wells to Your Highness on this cold and frosty October morning.

I trust that you and "Venus Bushfires" are perfectly fine. So too are your glorious Princesses whom I assume are happy and content on this extremely rarely seen early morning.

I couldn't sleep well so I've just woken up. A small miracle for me to catch the dew in the hedgerows for lack of a garden. Flat living can be so tiresome. Gardenless and fruitless; sunshine so rare in these parts. It is far too early for me. I am more of a night person, sleeping at dawn and waking at noon if you're lucky. I guess these are the advantages of being a childless man. Regardless of my daily habits, who in Africa cares? I have been thinking about your Opera and what is African Art? It, for me, has become a cozy home, for those that don't quite fit the mold, the misfits and the rejects. Those that want to confront rather than conform. There has never been a more important time for the emergence of the importance of African Art and I regard myself as an 'African Artist'. The Continent has inspired me to think and be different, as I'm sure it has you too. Things just seen in a completely different perspective and that needs to be celebrated and understood. You and Helen are doing cultural marathons to show others this and the vast opportunities it brings.

I really love Helen's song "We Come in Peace", but to get full audience participation Venus Bushfires needs to slightly simplify....be more like the football terraces and break it down. Like 'OH AH CANTANA, OH AH CANTANA'... so what about "FREEDOM GIVEN!.....FREEDOM TAKEN-AWAY!" - Do a Classic Trump on the Crowd, so all can feel included and nobody has to have a good voice...it is more of a revolutionary chant....This is truly a magical song, a mind opener for many, I being ONE!

I do hope we can meet soon to discuss more. This subject never gets boring for me. I woke this morning thinking how you switched from English to Pidgin as Fred (Kingston Gallery Owner | Simon Fredricks) did with Jamaican Patwah at King's and realize it is a 'life-collide'. A journey for identity when the parameters in England are so very rigid. I have seen this in my own cousins who I grew up with; now with New Zealand, Australian accents, but I really thought it more a put-on but I realize it is more wanting to be immigrated fully....In your case my dear friend, it is slightly different but rather more exciting because you are living between worlds divided. I wonder what your young girls, your wonderful Princesses, think of it all? They are going to be or already are, so incredible.

You have inspired me to write again and I want to find a rather different kind of voice and wrote this, which should become a series of "Letters in the Wilderness" ~ the wilderness meaning those not wanting to be brainwashed by creative ideas of the West more inspired by those without artistic formulaic degrees, Masters of Fine Art or even Doctors with PhDs....I prefer to encourage the untrained, those Artistic Doctors Without Borders. Whether this is successful, only time will tell but it is worth building upon regardless.

The Pidgin Opera has inspired me..Tonight I have been teaching myself "Pidgin"....I really LoveitO....but you can use the keyboard characters  too...- | ~ } "" { .... and so the symbols mean something too...this is awesome...so inventive and linguistically malleable.

How on earth did Helen write her Opera, Mami wata GENIUS.

So this is my first go. Please do bare in mind I can only get better:

"How-u-dey? Me-dey-fineO.

Wetin-be-u-dayO. Me no-sabi and me no~NO! Dash-me, Gi-me CoffeeO. Me no-money, me no~friendsO…..

Wetin-dey-happen? Wahala no-dey stopO.  Me comot for safety, me comot for security. Who dem send you?

Me want chop, talkshop dayda k-leg customa. Come chop, abeg...make me no vex you...if you no gree, that-be fineO, Charlie~~~~"

Good luck with tomorrow/today perhaps with the Opera performance to 360 plus kids. They are going to adore you all.

KEEP being FANTASTIC.

May the Gods bless you richly.

Lots of love,


African Joe XXXX

Ps. If you didn't get a chance to see this because of Opera Commitments: Here are the highlights from the England vs All Blacks | Semi Finals

Letters from the Wilderness to King's Scholar Luke Dunn by Joe Pollitt

24/10/2019

Dear King's Scholar Luke,

You have run beside me and at times held my hand metaphorically but you have been a great support. What is African Art to me? When I was a child I went to my primary school…First Day, I was given a small bottle of milk with a blue straw…New to me for sure…but I saw the straw and I saw the girl's ear and thought is this straw for that ear? Come on yes of course...it kinda fits…yes it does...makes sense...I don't need the straw, maybe she does?  Maybe she has somehow misplaced hers and I really don't need mine. Yes, maybe she does need my straw afterall...let us see. I had been strategically placed in the high-chair and overlooked the other toddlers. I felt so powerful, an overwhelming sense of unearned privilege. I was seen as important by the group. I had to do something all their eyes where on me. So I reached across and pushed the blue straw into the little girl's ear canal thinking it was meant to be….'The Lady Oldie'…Wwwell she wrenched me out my high-chair with such familiar force and rushed me out the room…I WAS EXPELLED….I was 4 years old. It was the First day of my academic career. Clearly, I was a non-starter....

When I was five I pissed my bed like a drunkard that I am now, in fact, aged 49, I piss my bed more now than ever before. I am known by some as the "Bedwetter of Royal Tunbridge Wells".  I piss the bed twice, if not three times a night just to make sure and in winter more to keep warm. Put I used to go on this hateful “school run”…I would punch the driver in the back of the head for driving too slow and again when he or she (dependent of school days) was driving too fast…I used to weep in the car every morning….and my school uniform stank of piss because I was so sad..I never noticed myself but others said I stank…They tried to help but I would simply piss on them....SO MISERABLE….TO HAVE TO LEARN FROM SUCH SELF RIGHTEOUS DO-GOODERS! I remember one day I went to the school and wanted to say goodbye to my Mummy….and Mrs Gledhill held me back with both arms…So I punched her in the face and ran to  kiss my dear Mummy goodbye…Again EXPELLED ..aged 6 and three quatres. MYBAD….

It gets worse…

I joined the Cubs and I was 7 and then my very famous AdMAN Dad, Stanley Pollitt, from Boase Massimi Pollitt went and died on me at the tender age of 49 in 1979, I was 8 years of age and I remember walking to the Sweetshop in Sussex after our weekly boring Sacred Heart Sunday Catholic Mass and saying to him, “D-Ad you are 49, you will be an antique at 50…if you make it?” The next day he was DEAD. Still to this day I feel my comments killed him…Bullet words from a terrible bed-wetting ‘EXPELLED’ son. He tried to teach me to Box but never let me punch him….he wanted to punch me to a pulp to teach me a lesson…A lesson in what? Well, I did learn something…how to run from adults. I don't miss our so-called, "BOXING LESSONS" one bit.

Naturally as a young fatherless boy of 8, I started swearing. Well what else is there to do...FCUK.

"FUCK…FUCKERS..BUM-LICKERS, ARSE SCRATCHERS, NOSE PICKERS, SHIT, SCREW YOU….BUM, TITS, BIG TITS AND ASS. SPIT, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK..COCK..COCK A DOODLE DOO...COCK...cock..cock..COCK..COCK...FUCK..FUCK..JESUS...CHRIST ALMIGHTY (pause for breath) CHRIST ALMIGHTY YOU FUCKING JESUS (that was my ulitmate 'crowd-shocker'!)"

Well, what a reaction from the Scout Hut. Everybody was watching me now...I was virtually famous. Celebrity no less..the rudest boy in the room. The fact was that nobody had heard such a potty-mouth, the parents heard right away and I was excluded…No more jelly and ice-cream birthdays for little old me...No Sir ree... I was sent home immediately…EXPELLED YET AGAIN…but all I wanted was for others to feel as angry and upset as I felt about losing my favourite dear AD/DAD…BMP | “SMASHED GET SMASHED” and he did….The silly potato-head.

It gets worse

To be continued.....

Anyway Luke, just thought I’d touch base. 

Hope that your childhood was worse than mine…I have plenty more to offer.

Big Kiss,

YOU ROCK…..STAR.

Yours sincerely,

Master Joseph Pollitt | 3^rd Grade Student, Bottom Set and Sinking Fast

Letters from the Wilderness to Simon Wajcenberg by Joe Pollitt

24/10/2019

Dear Puppanickle,

It's been a hard days night but um feeling quite all write. Had another tough two weeks, facing kite-surfing Wendy at the office..."Windy-Wendy"..Thatz what we 'Kool Kids' call-her. Let me share with you an'ickle Jackanory 'bout my hard-working weak......

And back to the writing, back to the rhythm. The sounds of the Underground, the blasts from the past, slowly waking up to join me in my-writing.  Adjust can't sleep, too excitedO. Me be me, wear me is free, look, finally let-it-be, as-eye-is clearly accepted. I can dance O, Lieca camel whithers humps, lumps and teddy-bear paws. This feels good. This feels right, like I've been herO....Wwater bumbum.  Just slide on in to the other-side, cultural butterfly spreading her beautiful wings. Neither this nor that can touch me now. I have found my tapping feet, my neck-nodding up and down and side to side hitting every beat.....as I slide on in to the other-side. Where rigid conformity and gentile formality are calmly swept under the rug. Lucy goosey is on her way going. It's been awhile since I have opened up like this two-YOOOOHOOOO! Busy pushing into third, then fourth, fifth and looking for my sixth gear. Riding in my mind, smoked filled razor-blades scratching at the sides of my eyes, opening the lids to see what others see when they read me...WRITE....

Nothing but confusion as I givea shout-out with some catchy little soundbites and slogans from the past; a grey haired porcupine with sharp-spike-spikes, waving all her weapons proudly in the air, letting off the bullets that shower without sponge, without soap, without Wwater bumbum. So you too can feel me thumping, banging out her beats, roaring out for loners, for losers, for rejects, for misfits, wherebe the ne're-do-wells...coz we wanna NO! There rizza seat with your name in-it, park your rump down and Abba rest in peace.. A creep-ona-seat, sitting sniffing at my feet.....YOU ARE WELL-COME!

Wotz the sense of making sense when incense is taking up the room. Nothing said, nothing spoken, all is quiet....ALL IS BRIGHT.... All clear on the Western front, back-off, theres nothing to see here people, absolutely no message meant. Make your way to the doors, find your closet exit and make like-a dove with three wings and leave. These golden years are priceless, the aches and pains of age are quickly fading as I type. Wot write have you to be here? No right at all, that's why it feels so dangerously WRITE .


Meet four a-pint or five depending on the outcome of the second part of the third Act. Put your best frock-on and let's boogy-baby, want-some? Till then stay as you are. What, no Wedding--ring? Don't change a thing. Stay just as you are, I'm off-too guitar-car.

All my warm fuzzy winky-wanky-wooes,

Uncool Joey XX

P.s. Howz Foam-at-the-mouth-Bob and Sightseeing-Simple-Dimple-Seaman-Simon, be sure, be absolutely certain this time, to send them my LOVE! Tata

I-D MAGAZINE ~ AFRICAN ART

Comments from Joe Pollitt as an intro.......


"THIS IS NOT GOOD FOR AFRICA....NO GOOD...THE ARTISTS ARE ALL FALLING INTO COLONIAL TRAPS...BLEACHED FOR A WHITE ART MARKET...HOW IS THIS AFRICAN ART? NO....NO..NO THIS IS JUST NOT RIGHT...IN FACT, IT IS DISHONEST!

It must be understood that South Africa is an entity unto itself. The people of South Africa do NOT look up to Africa, they look up to Europe and the US. They are totally obsessed with qualifications; most have MFAs, PhDs even.....they have all been played for years. They are the children of the "Abused"...these Artists can hardly reflect a complex Continent as Africa. In their minds they are NOT African....they are struggling to find what they are....but the answers do NOT lie in the corridors of formal Colonial Institutions and between the pages of exam sheets. The artists are just paying lip service to the old regime. Has anybody seen the TOWNSHIP ARTISTS? This is where the life blood of South Africa runs......devoid and uncontaminated from Institutional Education. This is a huge subject which is just being skimmed upon and represented so poorly in these pathetic toxic Art Fairs....

On reflection, I guess these Artists do represent the Continent but in ways I hadn't considered before. Is Africa going to be constantly ruled by others? Is it going to be valued by what some outside exam board thinks of them or what such established sites as Somerset House or the British Museum say? The question is rock solid and hits at the heart of the matter....Who is to define the Continent? Are African Nations created by the Collectors behind closed doors in Auction Houses? Let us be clear here, it is the money that shapes the Cultural Independence of Nations. That being the case, then "Independence" really does mean absolutely nothing. Art is Power, it shows others what the individuals of all the different 'made-up' countries of Africa, are worth. It expresses the values held by Nations, so Art, in essence, is far more than just objects strategically placed or blobs of paint on prepared canvases, neatly framed.

Are we to support those that have bought their tickets via Western approved degrees and further educational qualifications, which can be marked down by those that have the audacity to declare others, "Uncivilized"? The beauty of African Art is it's openness, it's glorious primitive unpredictable nature. Sadly, the Continent is still being controlled by vulgar outside forces. So we have a parallel in place and it is rich vs poor, groomed vs independent.  If the Continent is to be truly free then it must be defined by the authenticity of untrained artists? The financial investments paid out by the Artists, has so far paid off, but that is to the detriment of an entire Continent. Those with their tickets are only holding up the rest, creating barriers for the determined honest artists. The only country to grasp this concept is Nigeria...the rest of Africa are decades behind and some may never change. The rigid white frameworks that has been put into place and will never allow it to be altered; there is simply too much at stake. What we are witnessing today are just white masks on black faces.

I guess what I am trying to point out and fearful of is that perhaps, just maybe we are listening to the Rong Radio Station...

Personally, I would like to pay tribute to the greatest contributor to Africa. May the Gods Bless BISI SILVA. They broke the mold when they made you....you are one in a billion. XX"

Source: I-D MAGAZINE.

Oct 9 2019, 3:03pm

these four women are changing the face of modern african art

"We’re moving towards a time where we want a contemporary art world to be more inclusive. I don’t think there’s a way back from this, it’s now and it’s a reality.” 

 

Whether in fashion, music, or contemporary art, interest in work by creatives based on, or hailing from, the African continent has never been greater. But while the interest may be there, there are still relatively few formal platforms dedicated to showcasing Africa’s artistic output. Where contemporary art is concerned in particular, major fairs disproportionately spotlight galleries and artists based in, or with easy access to, more traditional art centres. There are of course exceptions, but it was this general sense of infrastructural disadvantage that encouraged Touria El Glaoui to found 1-54 London: a contemporary African art fair held yearly at Somerset House over the October Frieze weekend. “From the start, I had a mission to create the platform for artists from the continent and the African diaspora,” she reflects. “It was a response to the lack of infrastructure and voice for these artists. We wanted to gather as many artists from the continent as we could, and ensure that they are part of the narratives and discourses around contemporary art that weren’t including them.”

Now a key stop on the circuit for collectors, curators and fans of contemporary African art, 1-54 has undergone exponential growth in seven short years. It now hosts fairs in New York and Marrakech. But, as discussions about the treatment of diversity and inclusion as trends increase, is there a reason to worry that the current fever for African art could be all but a passing fad? “I don’t really like the use of the word ‘trend’ with regard to what we do. It would be unfair, in today’s world, to deal with a contemporary art scene that doesn’t include African or African American artists,” Touria tells i-D. “I think the outlook is a good one: we’re moving towards a time where we want a contemporary art world to be more inclusive. I don’t think there’s a way back from this, it’s now and it’s a reality.”
As this year’s edition wraps up, we take a look at some of the most exciting artists whose work was shown at the fair, offering Western audiences an insight into the wealth and calibre of African art.

 Alice Mann

Known for her portraiture essays that put the collaborative nature of both image-making and identity-making in focus, Alice Mann is quickly rising the ranks of fine art photography. Her series Drummies (2018), documenting young South African drum majorettes, many of whom hail from some of the country’s most disadvantaged communities, earned her the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize in 2018. It was the first time the prize has been awarded to a series rather than a single image. This year, she picked up the Photography Grand Prix du Jury at the Hyères International Festival. Capturing her subjects with a warm frankness, her work gives voice to the importance of community in building an individual identity. “I’ve always been interested in exploring how being part of a community offers people a sense of belonging, and I think being able to find that space is incredibly important… the need to belong is a feeling we can all relate to,” Alice tells i-D. “‘Being part’ of a community really embodies what collaboration is about… you are linked to other people in some way, working together, having a common cause in mind. From my experiences working with various groups of people, it’s been amazing to witness how belonging to something, and being part of a community can actively reinforce both group identity, but also positively affirm an individual’s sense of self within that.”

Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum

Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum is another artist working with photography, though not in the way you may have in mind. Instead, the Botswana artist turns to early 19th-century studio portraits of black and brown bodies shot against kitsch hand-painted landscapes as the inspiration for her recent work. Working in pencil and acrylic, she reinvigorates the images with a surreal balance of vivid and shadowy tones to create images in which familiar markers of time or place are removed. Elsewhere, her subjects fade into the imagined landscapes they pose against, highlighting their insignificance compared to the power and vastness of nature implied by the sets. “I often think of the work of the very brilliant Kodwo Eshun, especially his writing on the 'futures industry' that has been and continues to be at work casting Africa’s future as already apocalyptic, politically, economically and ecologically fraught,” Pamela explains. “It is my intention that my work operates as a sort of navigational device, a signal that it is still possible for us to imagine and occupy radical new futures.”

Mary Sibande 

Mary Sibande’s I Came Apart At The Seams, a solo exhibition now open in Somerset House’s Terrace Rooms, brings together three of the esteemed South African artist’s bodies of work: Long Live the Dead Queen (2008-13), The Purple Shall Govern (2013-17) and In the Midst of Chaos There is Also Opportunity (2017-) as well as new photographic pieces that the artist has begun to refer to as the ‘red’ series: “It’s a colour that for me strongly symbolises rage, resentment and frustration, and an atmosphere of which has remained far too prevalent in contemporary South African society,” she explains.

 Aïda Muluneh

To create Water Life, a photographic series produced in collaboration with WaterAid and the H&M Foundation, Addis Ababa-based photographer Aida Muluneh travelled to one of the hottest, driest places on earth. A landscape of endless salt-flats and azure blue skies, far-stretching sands and rocky outcrops, Dallol in Ethiopia’s Danakil Depression serves as the otherworldly backdrop for the artist’s uniquely Afrofuturist vision. In her images, she combines references to a pan-African cultural heritage—masks and head-wraps, for example—with contemporary props like the canary yellow jerry cans used by women across Africa to carry water. Though the images are arresting in their presentation of a surreal environmental harshness, underscoring the extent to which access to clean water is an issue that disproportionately affects women, they also speak of their resilience and power in the face of extreme conditions. “I’m not looking for the exoticism of the woman. I’m looking for their strength,” writes Muluneh in the exhibition’s wall text. “Women across the African continent play a major role in society, but often their voices are the ones that are missing.”

This article originally appeared on i-D UK.



*N.B.  Please support the real Real Artists of Africa like Sheila...She is incredible. 
http://uganda.spla.pro/en/file.person.nakitende-sheila-black.39035.html