TOUT-MONDE Art FOUNDATION
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TOUT-MONDE Art FOUNDATION Think, Create and Act with the Whole-World. Newsletter N°1: HOMO SARGASSUM © Philippe Alexandre (Collectif Chienfer), Triptyque Masque, Echo- Logique, Photograph, 80x120cm, 2019 “I call the Whole-world our universe as it changes (…). The totality-world in its physical diversity and in the representations, it inspires in us: that we could no longer sing, speak or work in the pain from our place alone without plunging into the imaginary of this totality.” Édouard Glissant LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Dr. Tatiana Flores Dear Tout-Monde Community, It is a great pleasure and honor to introduce you to the TOUT-MONDE Art FOUNDATION, a New York based 501(c)3 non-profit organization and public charity, co-founded in November 2019 by Valérie Loichot, Mireille Chancy- Gonzalez and Vanessa Selk, in order to support Caribbean artists through impactful projects dedicated to foster change in our 3E-focus areas: Education, Ecology and Equal Rights. Inspired by the thought of Édouard Glissant, Martinican philosopher, author and poet (1928- 2011) who theorized the concept of the Whole-World, our mission is to help Caribbean artists develop their work beyond a regional framework, by connecting them to other artists, institutions, art professionals and collectors of the Tout-Monde, the Whole-World. Through our projects, we express an identity that is rhizomatic as defined by Glissant: instead of being rooted in one place or anchored to one language, every human identity is defined by horizontal encounters with others, evolving through time and space, defined by our relation to others and by our acts. The COVID-19 pandemic and the global social movement brought forth by the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and so many others have further highlighted how connected we all are through the world, and how crucial it is to act as One Humanity, One Planet. It is high time and an ethical responsibility for cultural institutions to take into account underrepresented communities, not only during special programs or a dedicated month, but on a daily basis. This needs to become the new norm. African or Afro-descendant contemporary artists have gained recognition in the last few years from a renewed interest from the art market through dedicated art fairs and galleries. But this is not enough. There are more invisible minorities that need support, recognition, and nurturing. Caribbean artists are foremost among them. This region, which is crucial to the understanding of world history and contemporary geopolitics, has been segregated from the territories around it, ignored, and silenced. n fact, the COVID-19 pandemic has been hitting the art world in all ways, including institutions like ours which seek to support artistic communities. Being a young foundation, we have been struggling through our birth, but we had the advantage of flexibility and adaptability. Realizing that a “back to normal” would not happen soon, and that the crisis presented an opportunity to change mindsets and methods, we decided to adapt our projects through hybrid formats, to pursue our mission to serve Caribbean artists by all means. For artists are essential workers who need our support now. We should approach this crisis as a strategic moment to ally causes and build partnerships in order to lift each other. This is why we decided to focus on several initiatives in the upcoming months: 1) the production of a video-exhibition titled HOMO SARGASSUM, allying artists, scientists, anthropologists, entrepreneurs and tech companies to face the ecological and public health impacts of Sargassum-seaweed. This first edition of our Newsletter is focusing on this project; 2) the development of an international strategic partnerships network, our “Rhizome Partnerships” with other institutions committed to promoting Caribbean artists, diversity and equal rights; 3) and finally, a collaboration with the Brooklyn Orchestra directed and conducted by Olivier Glissant to make classical and contemporary music more accessible to all communities and ages through an open air musical and performing arts Season titled “Welcome to Chaos”, planned for the Summer 2021. To make this happen, we need your support. The current crisis has shown how insufficient and little prepared traditional financial channels are to cope with unexpected challenges and to support essential artists and staff in the long run. We therefore invite you to participate in whichever way you can. Every voice, every face, and every dollar counts to change the face of our Whole- World. Sincerely, Dr. Tatiana Flores President of the Tout-Monde FoundationProfessor at Rutgers University and Independent Curator. HOMO SARGASSUM ©Nadia Huggins, Transformations No2, Digital Photograph, 30”x46.5”, 2016 HOMO SARGASSUM is a video-exhibition project, written and conceived by Paris-based artist Louisa Marajo and Artistic Director Vanessa Selk, with the curatorial support of Dr. Tatiana Flores, echoing the Foundation’s Ecology-value: it aims at raising awareness globally about the environmental and health impact of the Sargassum-algae on coastal communities, by inviting over 30 artists from the Caribbean, Latin America and West Africa to collaborate with scientists, anthropologists, researchers, entrepreneurs and tech companies to find solutions to end this scourge. Sargassum releases toxic gases that provoke environmental damage and impact the health of ecosystems and populations. Indeed, because of climate change, deforestation and oceanic pollution, the proliferation of the sargassum has become uncontrolled. Those who are already suffering from a respiratory dysfunction due to the Sargassum are now also facing the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing their vulnerability and risk. The gases also kill marine life and have a disastrous economic impact on coastal states and tourism…Action is now urgent. Only the strong bonds of solidarity and collaboration between all actors and across all fields will enable us to change course. That is why we decided to build a community around artist Louisa Marajo, who started working with sargassum in 2018, gathering the following participants: Artists: Philippe Alexandre/Collectif Chienfer (Martinique), José Bertogal (Guadeloupe), Minia Biabiany (Guadeloupe/Mexico), Camille Chedda (Jamaica), Xavier Cortada (Cuba/USA), Nicolas Derné (Martinique), Morel Doucet (Haiti/USA), Alejandro Durán (Mexico/USA), Edouard Duval-Carrié (Haiti/USA), Billy Gerard Frank (Grenada/USA), Guy Gabon (Guadeloupe), Annabel Guérédrat (Martinique), Gwladys Gambie (Martinique), Nadia Huggins (Trinidad and Tobago/St Vincent and the Grenadines), Dominique Hunter (Guyana), Deborah Jack (Netherland/St.Maarten), Mirtho Linguet (French Guiana), Anina Major (Bahamas/USA), Louisa Marajo (Martinique/France), Joiri Minaya (Dominican Republic/USA), Ricardo Ozier-Lafontaine (Martinique), Juan Ernesto Requena (Venezuela/USA), María Isabel Rueda (Colombia), Henri Tauliaut (Guadeloupe/Martinique), Philippe Thomarel (Guadeloupe/France) and more tbc. Researchers: Dr. Martin Munro (Winthrop-King Institute, Florida State University), Dr. Florence Ménez (University of the French West Indies), Dr. Nico Wienders (Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University), Dr. Malcolm Ferdinand (CNRS) and more to be confirmed. Companies and Labs: SARA, HOLDEX, The Marine Box. The project is launched in partnership with the Winthrop-King Institute and the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science of Florida State University, Cortada Projects, Rubis Mécénat and the InPulse Project, the Sara Group and Holdex. The public will be invited to experience the project in various formats through an immersive journey, presenting installations, paintings, sculptures, photography, video art, sound and scent creations, performances, as well as scientific and technological productions. In addition, in partnership with Rubis Mécénat’s InPulse Project supporting Jamaican youth through visual art, the project also invites Jamaican art students to interact and reflect on the subject. You, too, can become part of the HOMO SARGASSUM project. Click here to see our teaser and become a HOMO SARGASSUM! (c) Annabel Guérédrat and Henri Tauliaut, Foetales, Martinique, 2'45, 2015, Film Still GET INVOLVED: Become a HOMO SARGASSUM ©Anina Major, Hope Chest, Stonewear, mirror, cardboard, 24x31x16, 2016 You believe that art is a vital organ of our society and want to support artists who are essential workers and help them creating socially impactful projects even through difficult times? Become part of our HOMO SARGASSUM project and support the artists and scientists in their research and work today: Click here to donate The Tout-Monde Foundation Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit organization: donations are tax-deductible. CROSS INTERVIEW: Louisa Marajo & Vanessa Selk ©Louisa Marajo, Sargasse-Sea, Photographic compilation, variable dimensions, 6 editions +1 artist proof, 2019 Louisa Marajo is a visual artist born in Martinique, living and working in Paris. She started working on Sargassum in 2018, first by integrating them into her canvasses, then by taking photographs to narrate different stories, that she scatters into different pieces to compose new sculptures. She is inspired by the Schumpeterian concept of constructive destruction and Kurt Schwitters’ approach of orderly chaos, trying to adopt an alternative perspective on ecological disasters. She contacted the Tout-Monde Foundation in 2019 to collaborate on an artistic project