The Brown Bastard, Sugar Free, White Chocolate Trash, Post-Colonial Apocalypse is here

Artists Dimitri Madimin (Netherlands) and Zen Marie (South Africa)  are launching the first event in a series of activations, interventions, presentations and exhibitions of their collaborative project “Sugar Free“, in Geneva on Saturday the 20th of May, hosted by the Embassy of Foreign Artists. Sugar Free #1 will also involve contributions from two other Pro Helvetia Artists in residence in Geneva, Georgina Maxim (Zimbabwe) and Albert Khoza (South Africa), as well as  Sharrif Simmons (US), Gilles Furtwängler (CH), Nicolas Field (CH) and Henri-Michel Yéré (CH). During June, the project is joined by Memory Biwa (Namibia) and Robert Machiri (Zimbabwe) of Pungwe Nights.

‘Sugar Fee” aims to re-imagine colonial histories as processes for remapping critical and subversive perspectives in the contemporary.  It develops around an international network of artists, musicians, theorists, performers, activists and other agents who either lack or refuse categorisation.

The artists follow and map the global routes of sugar, its production and trade both historically and in the present. This creative research, includes activations, public conversations, events and exhibitions that explores this (post)colonial terrain in order to critically question the writing of history and the perceptions of cultural heritage.

“We specifically focus on commodities that act as stimulants, that create desire or heighten the senses, e.g. coffee, spices, tobacco, opiates, cocoa, gems, precious metals (etc) and of course, sugar. These substances are desirable but also dangerous. They rely on and create aggressive and abusive relationships in their farming, mining, extraction, distribution and consumption. ”

Events are scheduled to take place at Art Basel, BIG Bienalle, Circuit (Lausanne), Platforms Project, Communitism, Documenta 14 (Athens), Stadsarchief, Museumnacht (the Netherlands) and ICA (Cape Town, South Africa).

Event details (Saturday, 20th of May)
17h00: Welcome
18h00: Performances
21h00: Curfew
00h00: After party at Motel Campo

Embassy of Foreign Artists:

Rue Subilia 45
1227 Carouge / Geneva
Switzerland