Artist-in-residence at Nafasi Arts Space: Aristote Bestaleel Mago & Mwamba Chikwemba
One of our ten regional mobility partners, Nafasi Arts Space in Dar es Salaam hosted two visiting artists from the region for residencies in November and December 2020.
Aristote Bestaleel Mago [16.11 – 14.12. 2020]
Aristote Mago (1988) from Kinshasa, DR Congo has been creative from a young age. In 2007 he graduated from the Kinshasa Institute of Fine Arts with a sculpture focus. In 2010, he enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts while integrating with a collective of young visual artists called ‘Neo-Ngongism’. In 2012, following a lack of suitable materials and processes, Aristotle decided to use everyday materials and techniques in his work such as knitting yarn and canvas bags commonly known as ‘market bags’. Aristote is an active member of Kin ArtStudio in Kinshasa, another of our regional mobility partners.
During his residency at Nafasi, Aristote was invited to engage with the ongoing collaborative workshop focused on the theme of borders and the national, social, and spiritual divisions they represent and enforce. Aristote’s workshop opened with a discussion on the first day which allowed artists to share their experiences and their concepts. Aristote then shared his unique work and experience and answered questions to do with creativity, concept development and strategies for building an expansive and relevant body of work. The following day the group of artists began to work on bringing these concepts to life with the use of different mediums. The residency concluded with an open studio for Aristote to share his work with the local artist community.
Mwamba Chikwemba [17.11 – 18.12.2020]
Mwamba Chikwemba (1992) is Zambian artist who holds a diploma in Public Administration from the National Institute of Public Administration. In 2016 she was selected as Artist of the Month by the German Embassy in Lusaka, Zambia. Mwanba was awarded a three month residency at the Great More Studios in Cape Town in 2018 and has taken part in numerous exhibitions in Southern Africa and abroad. She has participated in exchange programmes between Modzi Arts in Lusaka and La Teinturerie in Antananarivo.
During her residency at Nafasi, Mwamba hosted a workshop titled Stories We Tell which created a safe artistic space for women’s stories through experimentation with plaster casting techniques. She concluded her residency with an open studio to share her work and process with the local artist community.
