Migration, Identity and Belonging workshop

 pARTage International Artists Workshop 2017
 
"Migration, Identity and Belonging"
 
pARTage is a registered, non-profit artists` led organisation based in Mauritius.  we aim at promoting art in the country as well as in the region (Comoros, Madagascar, Reunion and Seychelles). We do this through numerous local and international exhibitions, conferences, workshops and residencies. (www. partagemauritius.org)..  pARTage is part of The Triangle Network (www.trianglearts.org) ; an international network of artists and organizations set up in 1982 by late Sir Anthony Caro and Robert Loder to support artists-run grass roots projects around the world.
 
The next pARTage workshop on "Migration, Identity and Belonging" will take place in Mauritius from 1st  to 14th April 2017
 
PARTICIPANTS: Contemporary artists working in any medium and open to experimentation, coming from around the world. The selected artists will be coming from  the following countries:
Trinidad, Congo, India, China, UK, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Zambia, Canada, Russia, Iceland, South Africa, Comoros, Madagascar, Reunion, Seychelles, Rodrigues and Mauritius.
 
Theme: : "Migrations, identities and belonging"
 

 
Human migration – the voluntary or involuntarily movement of peoples from one place to another is a complex process that has been a feature of societies throughout the centuries. As part of the human condition, people have chosen to migrate for a number of reasons: poverty, war, natural calamities, climate change,  political oppression,  social strife, economic hardships and more.
 
Since the mid-twentieth century, the nature of migration has become largely influenced by globalization. Advances in communication and transportation technology have driven globalization forwards, allowing us to live in a world where distances between countries and the time it takes to travel to places is no longer an obstacle.
 
However, over the past few years, we have been witnessing the displacement of thousands of people, fleeing social and political unrest in their respective countries, moving in their droves in search of a safe haven.  
 
Human migration typically affects population patterns, the characteristics of a culture and social change. It impacts economies, and the physical environment itself. As people move, so their belief systems, traits, traditions and ideas diffuse into their new surroundings, creating and modifying the cultural landscape in which they live.
 
 We would like artists to reflect on this global phenomenon of displacement and the concept of belonging. Questioning both the individual and collective identity. “Where do we belong?” What identity/ies do each of us possess? Who am I? Look back at the past and comprehend the present. What happens to your identity when you lose your place of belonging? What are the memories of home and which of these do you carry with you? Amidst growing religious extremism and such intolerance towards differences, can a new place ever be referred to as home?
 
PROPOSED ACTIVITIES: (2 Weeks)
 
1. Art workshop: all artists will work in a common space where they will be provided with most necessary tools and materials to allow them experiment fully in their favorite media. The fact that they will be working next to each other there will be a mirror effect from one work to the other; this will favor both a visual and verbal exchange. It has been noted in the past workshops that though artists will work individually on their piece, the creative energy that will develop will make them all work as a group. We hope the workshop will enable participants to develop projects in response to the new environment, experiment with locally available unfamiliar art materials in unfamiliar ways. The practical workshop will take place in flic en flac at the outdoor training center ( Ministry of Youth and Sports). The site is right by the sea and will be a very inspiring space for artists.
 
2. Art talk: In the evening there will be informal slide shows and talks among the participants. Each artist will present his personal work and also talk about art in his country.
 
3. One-day conference: The conference will be attended by art lovers, art students and other artists.
 
4. Art exhibition: All artworks produced during the two weeks will be exhibited at the end of the workshop . This will allow a larger public to experience the result of the workshop. Artists will have to make arrangements to ship their works if ever they would decide to take their works back home.
 
 
 
 
419, kestrel Street, Flic en flac, Mauritius
+230-5751-9045, [email protected]
www.partagemauritius.org