An Artistic Interpretation – Alserkal Avenue

WORDS: SARAH JOSEPH

The celebratory intervention Homecoming takes over Alserkal Avenue from September to December 2021. Across both internal and external areas at Alserkal Avenue, home to a diverse community and a wide public audience, Homecoming activates cultural space as a source of comfort and wellbeing in these challenging times and recollects ourselves in the present moment.

An Artistic Interpretation

The public realm interventions launched by Alserkal Arts Foundation are curated by Janine Gaëlle Dieudji, and will incorporate displays by artist Lakwena Maciver known for her bold use of colour

Janine Gaëlle Dieudji Can you expand on how you started out in the art world and was curation always a passion? As a multilocal, I lived so many di erent lives in di erent places that led me to where I am today, but my initial path and academic background were not really designed to take me here. I studied Sociology, Political Science, then International Studies & Culture as I was fascinated with diplomacy and wanted to be one of these women in suits, but it never suited me. Although I already had some experience in the arts as an in intern in France and used to visit museums and art spaces such as Galerie du jour Agnès b., moving to Florence definitely played a huge role. Living and breathing in an open-air museum such as the city of Renaissance made me fully embrace my creativity, from the way I dress to how I started cra ing my future. From visual arts, fashion to cinema, I had the privilege to interact and build relationships with so many creative minds who inspired me and still continue to do so. My experiences led me on to being an art studio manager, an independent art consultant, then Vice President and co-Director of the cultural association Black History Month Florence (BHMF), which I still am today, as well as Director of Exhibitions at the Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL) in Marrakech since 2017.

Does curating come from both head and heart and how do you balance the Lakwena Maciver two when selecting works to showcase? A few years ago, a curator told What first led you to work in the art space and how did you define your me that “we curate emotions”. This has stayed with me since then. I don’t preferred medium? My practice is mainly based around painting, but really define myself as a curator, mostly as a cultural producer and an more recently I’ve enjoyed being able to work with the fluidity of tex‘artivist’, a creative that sees and tries to understand the world surround- tiles. I’m interested in the connotations of banners and flags, espeing her under the lens of art. I tried for quite long to separate the head cially the political and heraldic connotations surrounding them. The from the heart in my work, but a few years ago, I came to the fact that way they lend themselves to bearing messages, is something that feels they create magic together, and I embrace it. Curating an exhibition, like like a very natural medium for my work. producing an artwork, comes from di erent places, but very o en from Can you expand on the inspiration behind your use of bold typographic a place of emotion. Curating is also about putting artists and their art- texts? I’m really interested in messages as I think a lot about the di erworks first, sometimes making their dreams come true, not yours. Select- ent types words that we’re surrounded by in this modern society. Words ing works for an art project is a process, that starts with what we’re trying o en have a hidden meaning behind them and they’re trying to sell us to say, to communicate, and I’m grateful to the Alserkal Arts Founda- something. I think words are very powerful, so I see my work, particularly tion and its team for the invitation to contribute to the narrative they are when it’s in public spaces, as a manner of diversifying public speech. cra ing within their institution. In the case of Homecoming, we wanted How did it feel when you were first approached by the Alserkal Arts to repurpose the public space, but also to remind the public of their role Foundation for its latest public intervention? I was intrigued with how and place in the art community. Proposing text- the project was based in Dubai, as I hadn’t based interventions such as the works of artists like Lakwena Maciver, whose work I came “I was born into displayed my work here before. To be a part of the wider project and connect with di eracross for the first time in London in 2015 with the mural “BE BAD UNTIL YOU’RE GOOD”, this society, but ent artists opens up a whole new world for me which is really exciting. Kameelah Janan Rasheed and Augustine Paredes who question knowledge production and I’m constantly Your approach to art is instinctive – was this from the outset and has your style grown over time? the occupation of physical and mental spaces felt the right choice to me, and I’m truly happy questioning its As a child, art was an instinctive way for me to process experiences. It was a coping mechaAlserkal’s team went for that. We’ve been facing critical times for almost two years now. The prevailing beliefs nism, and in many ways still is. What people see as positive a rmations are my response to COVID-19 crisis clearly showed us that multilateralism only works in times of peace. The and principles” the di culties and how life can be. Each piece speaks truth into real life situations. As I’m various social protests around the world during invited to make work on an incredibly larger this time brought a special attention to mat- scale, there is more need for careful planning, ters such as racism, police brutality, inequality amongst people, matters so in these contexts I’m not able to improvise as much, but in the planaround xenophobia and discrimination, as people started to develop and ning stages, the work is still very much led by instinct. encourage the notion of critical thinking. You challenge the voice of mass media – tell us more about this apWhat does your role as Exhibitions Director at the Museum of African proach? Mass media is controlled by a small number of people who Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL) involve? I joined MACAAL very much set the agenda for what is spoken about, what is celebrated, in 2017 in Florence then moved to Marrakech. It’s been an incredible what is valued and what is believed. This gives them immense power experience so far as I’ve navigated into so many di erent fields in the to comment on culture. My intention with my work is to subtly chalart world. I’m committed to building an inclusive museum, through lenge some of the concepts promoted by mass media. the curation and production of exhibitions, as well as educational This is ‘The Renegade Issue’ – When have you had to take this approach programmes and artist residencies. Key areas of my work consist in to life and who do you feel is a true renegade in their field? I was born overseeing the exhibitions programmes at MACAAL, developing and into this society, but I’m constantly questioning its prevailing beliefs producing public programmes, art residencies, contributing to insti- and principles, and asking myself whether what is currently fashiontutional partnerships relations, and special projects. I also curate ex- able is actually true and life-giving. My practice is very much an outhibitions and write on topics pertaining to contemporary African art working of that on a daily basis. The American comedian Dave Chapand artists, museums, and cross-cultural interactions. pelle seems to be a true renegade to me.

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