Free exhibition of the works of Angelia Conti (South Africa), Valena B. Dismuker (Ghana), and Bibi Jordan (Swahili Soul). Exhibit runs April 29 - June 25, 2006.
Opening Reception: April 29 -- 3 - 6 PM
Artists:
Angela Conti
Title: People of Places of South Africa
It is the natural and unquenchable desire of a photographer, as an artist, to capture the soul of a people through the lens of a camera. An artist seeks to bring life's realities of poverty, sadness, thankfulness, and joy to the eyes of the viewer. An artist seeks to open ears to the plight of the people. After visiting South Africa for the second time, Angela Conti realized that God had birthed the gift of photography in her in order to tell a story. As she visited South Africa she was welcomed as one who returned home after a long journey. She was allowed the opportunity to photograph the innocence, joy, and hope of a people who were once oppressed under apartheid.
Valena Broussard Dismukes
Title: A View from West Africa
I received formal training at several institutions including UCLA, Los Angeles Trade Technical College, and Art Center. I received my most important photograph training from Marion Palfi, a social researcher teaching at Inner City Cultural Center. In the main, people are the center of my work. I use photography as a way of exploring and understanding more about the world around me. Photography brings me in contact with fascinating people, their varied histories, and gives me a deeper understanding of culture -- its importance and power in people's lives. I am greatly touched by the degree to which people will open up, often across language barriers, and share themselves through the lens. It is a privilege for me to be admitted, however briefly, into their world.
My exploration of culture has taken me to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Western Europe, Asia, the Pacific, and West Africa. My work has been presented in almost forty solos, group, and juried shows, receiving grants from the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, See's Candies, the Long Beach Art Council, and the Indiana Humanities Council. Photographs from various projects have appeared in World Tennis and Essence magazines, among other publications, and are a part of the award winning video, "Black Indians: An American Story."
Bibi Jordan
Title: Swahili Soul: A Pilgrimage To The Inner Sanctum
You can't change the wind, But you can change the course. -- Swahili Proverb
"Swahili." Many know it as the lingua franca (trading language) of Africa. But, more than that, it is the cultura franca (trading culture) of East Africa's tropical coastline and coral atoll islands. Over two thousand years ago, borne on the Indian Ocean Trade Winds, traders from Asia, Arabia and Europe intermingled with African villagers to create the world's first fusion culture. While Europe sank into the Dark Ages, the Swahili city-states blossomed into mercantile centers as powerful and cosmopolitan as the Mediterranean principalities were in the Renaissance. The glory of the Golden Age of the Swahili endures in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Lamu and Zanzibar featured in the photo exhibit, 'Swahili Soul: A Pilgrimage to the Inner Sanctum".
Date: Saturday, April 29, 2006
Time: 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
William Grant Still Arts Center
2520 S. West View St.
Los Angeles, CA 90016
United States
Cost: Free and open to the public
RSVP to 323-734-1164 or 323-734-1165
William Grant Still Arts Center Tel: 323-734-1164
Sponsor(s): William Grant Still Arts Center. Information on non-ASC events is posted for informational purposes and does not reflect opinions of or endorsements by African Studies Center personnel.
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