Passage — a song. is an exhibition of work by Nigerian-British photographer Akinbode Akinbiyi and South African artist Abrie Fourie both based in Berlin. The project started during the artists' stay at Christoph Schlingensief's Opera Village in Burkina Faso. It continued as a collaboration between Musée de la Musique Georges OUEDRAOGO de Ouagadougou and the project space SCHARAUN, Berlin. The curatorial emphasis turns the focus to the idea of sound in photography. What do we hear? Can we hear the stories that emanate from the visual information or are we projecting from our own memories? Can we hear the noise of the place or the deafening silence?
“I can hear the roar of women’s silence.”
— Thomas Sankara
In December 2021, Akinbode Akinbiyi and Abrie Fourie, in the run-up to a coup d’état in Burkina Faso, the artists worked parallel on a photographic investigation of the geography and social topography of Oubritenga & Ouagadougou—considering the dreams manifested by Thomas Sankara then and the reality of the economic malaise of the 21st century. Thomas Sankara is considered “Africa’s Che Guevara”. Despite Sankara’s assassination (1987), the belief in revolutionary renewal is ever present in Burkina Faso.
Curated by Jaro Straub
Soundtrack composition by Boris Baltschun
Exhibition opening:
Saturday, 9 Sep 2023 from 12-20h
Opening times:
Friday and Saturday from 12-18h
Or by appointment at info@scharaun.de
Scharaun
Jungfernheideweg 4
13629 Berlin
U-Bhf Siemensdamm
During the exhibition, a series of six motifs from Passage — a song. will be visible as billboards in the urban space of Berlin from 13 September to 23 October, 2023. These will be distributed throughout the city and thus carry the discourse beyond Siemensstadt to a wider public.
Photographs by Akinbode Akinbiyi and Abrie Fourie are on display together with two further billboards with large-format quotations by Thomas Sankara "I can hear the roar of women's silence" and by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche "Stories can break the dignity of a people. but stories can also repair that broken dignity".
Special opening hours:
“Tag des offenen Denkmals Berlin” 9—10 Sep from 12-18h
Berlin Artweek 13—17 Sep from 14-19h
Events:
Tuesday, 10 October 2023 at 19h
Soum Eveline Nafissatou BONKOUNGOU presents her photo series ZIRK & PEOGO.
The talk will be held in French with German and English translation possible on demand.
Soum Eveline is a photographer and photo event coordinator from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. She will be in Berlin as a participant of a fotohaus Berlin 2023 exhibition which will be held from October 12 to 29.
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Finissage:
Saturday, 28 October 2023 from 14—20h
— 15h A discussion on the audio work "Passage — a song." Notes, concept & field recordings Burkina Faso July 2023 — Abrie Fourie and Soundtrack composition — Boris Baltschun
—17h Akinbode Akinbiyi & Abrie Fourie will unveil the publication "Passage — a song." (Archive Books) in conversation with contributors Anja Saleh (poet & artist) and Jaro Straub (curator & artist).
Passage — a song. (Archive Boos, Berlin 2023)
With poetry by Tosin Otitoju (Lagos, Nigeria) and Anja Saleh (Berlin, Germany) and texts by Bhavisha Panchia (Johannesburg, South Africa) and Jaro Straub (Scharaun, Berlin)
—18h Scharaun Bar open end
With friendly support by
Senat Department for Culture and Community BERLIN
Goethe Institut
Operndorf Afrika
vision b kunstservice
c-print Berlin
