In transit under another sky is an ambitious exhibition realised across Kampala and Nairobi by curators E.N. Mirembe and Rosie Olang’ Odhiambo. The project brings together the work of 11 artists who engage deeply with themes of transience, marginal identities, and the idea of artistic practice navigating between physical spaces and geographies. Using Yvonne Vera’s novel Butterfly Burning as a conceptual springboard, the exhibition transposes Vera’s exploration of peripheral existence and the shifting "quality of light under different skies" into new contexts. While Vera's narrative reflects her experiences of living between Canada and Zimbabwe, the exhibition is a testament to a wider resonance of these themes, speaking to the complexities of movement and belonging across borders and creative practices.
Exhibition visitors during the opening of in transit under another sky at Afropocene StudioLab, Kampala.
“Suspended between a present moment, one anticipated, or one revisited, we are gesturing towards a transitory temporality in which speculation and expectation inform our freedom-seeking movements. In the space between arrival and departure is a welcome purgatory, a small relief in considering the yet-to-be concluded. Also to know there is no punishment for the lack of resolution.” - E.N Mirembe and Rosie Olang’ Odhiambo
In transit under another sky features a series of specially commissioned works, including The Night Terminal, an immersive sensory installation by Ugandan audio-visual artist SCARLETMOTIF. The piece serves as a meditation on the concept of shelter, inviting viewers to reflect on the fluid, often impermanent spaces we inhabit between destinations.
Film by Joab Luvunia © British Council.
Kenyan anti-disciplinary practitioner Kabi Kimari was invited to create one audio-visual installation for each site. In Kampala, Kimari presented Why Are You Performing For These Mortals, a deeply personal work delving into the tension between self-expression and societal conformity, that sought to address the complexities of embodying multiple facets of identity. In Nairobi, meanwhile, The Space(s) Between Time, acts as Kimari’s response to the discomfort of change, capturing the sense of being adrift and the challenge of trusting a journey without knowing its final destination.
Exhibition view of Kabi Kimari's Why Are You Performing For These Mortals at Afropocene StudioLab, Kampala.
In addition to the newly commissioned works, in transit under another sky marks the debut of Gold Hands, a film by Jessica Atieno. Known for a practice that reinterprets history through a decolonial lens, Atieno primarily works with printmaking, tapestries, and moving image.
The exhibition also includes Relic 2, a film by British Ghanaian artist Larry Achiampong. The piece explores displacement through the traveller's journey across historically significant sites reflecting on the Anthropocene and imperialism by intertwining past and future narratives. Its inclusion was made possible with project support from the British Council.
Gold Hands by Jessica Atieno presented at Afropocene StudioLab, Kampala.
In transit under another sky was on view at Afropocene, Kampala until 31st August before moving to the Kamene Cultural Centre, Nairobi where it remains open to the public until 21st September 2024. As it moves between these locales, the exhibition invites viewers to reflect on the fluidity of personal journeys, leaving space for unresolved narratives and the possibility of transformation.
Exhibition view of Relic 2 by Larry Achiampong at Kamene Cultural Centre, Nairobi.
EXHIBITING ARTISTS
Larry Achiampong, Jessica Atieno, Letaru Dralega, Wezile Harmans, Kabi Kimari, Liz Kobusinge & Darlyne Komukama, Peterson Kamwathi, Mogoi, Neema Ngelime, and SCARLETMOTIFF
ABOUT ART EXCHANGE: MOVING IMAGE
The Art Exchange: Moving Image programme is a collaborative and cross-cultural curatorial professional development and exhibition programme for early to mid-career visual arts curators from Sub-Saharan Africa working with moving image. The programme is supported by the British Council and organised by LUX, the UK agency for the support and promotion of artists working with moving image, Yinka Shonibare Foundation and Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.) Foundation, Nigeria.
Exhibition view of works by Mogoi at Kemene Cultural Centre, Nairobi.
An Ode to a Time I Loved Bread by Neema Ngelime at Kemene Cultural Centre, Nairobi.
Works by Peterson Kamwathi (L) and Jessica Atieno (R) at Kamene Cultural Centre, Nairobi.
From L-R: Rosie Olang' Odhiambo, Letaru Dralega, SCARLETMOTIFF, and E.N Mirembe.
The private view of in transit under another sky at Afropocene StudioLab, Kampala.
Still from Wezile Harmans' The Body. The Voice. The piece forms part of a series of performance works that interrogate the body's relationship with familiar and unfamiliar spaces.