DOCUMENTARIES
ASAPH NG’ETHE MACUA
In this short piece commisioned by Haus Der Kunst and Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute, Asaph Ng'ethe Macua, one of Kenya's forgotten masters, reflects on his life and art.
BEATRICE
“Whatever informs our live, whether politically, socially...that’s the thing I want to kind of explore, because it’s not limited to me as an individual, it’s something that governs us as a nation in the world”. Nairobi, January 2019. Three local artisans/artists bring us to the discovery of their ateliers, showing the origin of the creative process.
Cast: Beatrice Wanjiku @bwanj
KATUSH
“What made me start fashion is quite a cliché. As I child I was like: «I want to grow up and become a fashion designer». I carried on to that dream and that perseverance throughout most of my youth”. Nairobi, January 2019. Three local artisans/artists bring us to the discovery of their ateliers, showing the origin of the creative process.
FLORENCE WANGUI
In many of her works, such as the stunning Wangui captures the liminality between the power of the ego, with its emphasis on control and shaping of our destiny, and the unknown – showing how we often exist between two states of being.
A GOOD EAR FOR PITCh: BBc
Dean du Plessis is one of a handful of cricket commentators in Zimbabwe. But he’s the only one who can convey the intricate details of the game just by listening to what’s happening on the field.
THE COACH
In 1916, Eternit, Italy's largest asbestos producer, opened a factory in Casale Monferrato, a town of 20,000 in Piedmont. Decades later, research revealed the factory's asbestos powder caused severe lung cancer. Despite this, Eternit continued production until 1986, leaving devastating consequences for workers and residents. Follow the journey of Andrea Garbero, a 16-year-old with deep pride for Casale Monferrato's soccer team. His world crumbles when his beloved coach, Luciano Bellan, falls victim to mesothelioma in 2013. The loss devastates the team, leaving the once-vibrant town colors faded and the spirit shattered.
paul onditi
Nairobi based artist Paul Onditi preffered medium are digital polyester inkjet plates, a unique medium great for experimentation. Working primarily with large format sheets, Onditi spends hours undertaking painstaking transfers, illustrative painting, and caustic acid baths to create other worldly landscapes that are vivid interpretations of the world within which we live.
A PRAYER FOR MECCA
As the hajj begins once again, Saudi artist Ahmed Mater has revealed unprecedented changes to the holy city – from flashy new hotels to the loss of priceless neighbourhoods. In the third episode of Crossing the Line, our series connecting the US and Middle East, he takes us inside Islam’s urban heart
KHALED’S LADDER
Against the backdrop of the US Presidential election, and increasingly anti-immigrant rhetoric coming from Donald Trump and the Republican Party, Palestinian artist, Khaled Jarrar, travels along the US / Mexican border from San Diego / Tijuana to El Paso / Juarez. Along the way Jarrar explores common concerns and human stories along the border. His journey culminates with the installation of an artwork made from stolen pieces of the US / Mexico border wall, in Juarez, Mexico. Although Jarrar has not given the monument a name, local people are calling it, “Khaled’s Ladder.”
The story of civil rights is unfinished: a Sudanese artist on a US road trip | Crossing the line
Khalid Albaih, a Sudanese political cartoonist who lives in Qatar, is taking a road trip across the US with 10 Middle Eastern artists.
A SAUDI ARTIST IN STANDING ROCK
After the US Army Corps of Engineers denied a permit for the Dakota Access pipeline to drill under the Missouri river, Saudi Arabian artist Ahmed Mater joins protesters at Standing Rock to celebrate their victory.