CCAEA

Kenya

Centre for Contemporary Art in East Africa (CCAEA) was founded in 2000 with the support of the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Nairobi. Its creation was inspired by the lack of the necessary infrastructure for the development of the arts, especially in relation to international communication & exchange of ideas among artists, institutions, critics, curators and other players in the global industry as a whole. CCAEA was created with a view to advocate for and monitor the evolution of contemporary art and culture in the region and to enhance the development and their integration in human development strategies through the creation of relevant art projects which cultivate the evolution of new ideas, promote information and exchange of ideas, research and cooperation at the regional and international level.

CCAEA is an organization that is set to serve as an advocate for contemporary art and as a catalyst for the creation of significant art projects. The organisation seeks to nurture emerging and established artists, and to provide opportunities for inspiration, experimentation, education, and through any other art related means, which support the evolution of new ideas. CCEAE intends also to involve in a broad range of symposia, lectures, artists’ talks and studio visits that will continuously cultivate diverse audiences for contemporary art forms and provide a forum for on-going dialogue.

Website

www.nairobi-arts.org

E-mail

info@ccaea.net

Supported by Artscollaboratory for

Amnesia - The concept Amnesia is looked at from an artistic point of view in this project and seen as a provocative mechanism for the identification and analysis of trauma and the provocation towards collective erasure of cultural and intellectual symbols, codes and blueprints that are fundamental to society. CCAEA chooses to deal with these questions through concepts such as self and collective identity; cultural value and exchange; memory and imagination; destruction and construction. The project aims to bring new meanings for terms like modernity, post modernity, multiculturalism, colonialism and post-colonialism.

The project has various components:

  • Public & Audience Engagement through exhibitions & presentations: exhibiting works of appr. 25 artists from Kenya, Africa & the Diaspora on the theme "Amnesia"
  • Artists’ Workshops & Conversations: a platform of communication and exchange between artists which shall involve creative & productive sessions in which artists shall create networks & linkages with fellow artists. Both technical & intellectual information will be shared between artists working within diverse backgrounds, genres and realities.
  • Art Criticism & Curatorial Strategies Forum: discussion sessions with a  regional & international group of partners, comprising of experts, support & catalyst organizations, curators, media professionals & journalists who create policies and write about the arts.