‘5 indie art spaces in African cities worth knowing more about’, Kim Gurney in The Conversation
Kim Gurney’s latest publication for The Conversation discusses five indie art spaces in African cities worth knowing more about.
According Kim
Independent art spaces are collectives of artists (and others) who club together to set up a communal space – often in former industrial sites and more affordable parts of the city – to further their practice. These spaces are DIY art institutions, if you like, that operate largely under the radar. In art world lingo, “offspaces”. Designed for purpose over profit, they encourage experimental work and creative risk-taking. They also favour art in public space, which provides an intriguing lens on the city. Kim’s Africa-wide research took her to five such spaces, each at least 10 years old, so that she could learn their secret sauce of sustainability. Kim found it’s largely about shapeshifting, a capacity for constant reinvention. The key ingredient is artistic thinking, made up of five key principles highlighted in the original article published for The Conversation.
