'T1 <:) ;: "t:r ~ ~ '7 c.... => ~. c..: 5· "~ q ':;< --;:: <0 c: '"' '"' .~ '" >-rj '< '":=! 3.:: ", ~ 0­ r, ~ I "" ::r c: c-e... ... ~ $: '< ., a -;!' R 3· ::r 0 '" 0­ 0 0 '" ~ oc N 0'" 00 2 0 '"0 "? 0 "? :J ON-SCREEN: GLOBAL INHMACY G lobal ization is frequently assumed to have a negative impact when associated with developing which require us to rethink conwnrio nal defin itions of n nations. Some schola rs view this outside inAuence Cl.s a corruption of culture. At the very leasr. it ide:ntity. is considered a threat to fragile and vul nerable local and traditional cultures. Such views tend [() fix a nd essentialize culture as a static cOlll modity, and disregard centuries of hi stori c enCOllllterS '[he ex hibiting artist.s d raw from their diverse identities cl that demo nstrate the global outreach of humanity across continents. Since earl y civili zations. conrracii ctory claims about the homngcniLing t()rce of gil people have moved across and within geographica l borders in search of better living condition', Recently, the frequency of travel. the accessihility of tcchnolof:,'Y. and the availability of inforn ~do n has compressed time and spact' in ways that allow tl)r human intt'l'connectio n to occur mOl"<: remotely. '1h e exhibition On-Seran: GIll /JIll IlIlimacy brings togetber ten ani ts from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean. and the United States whme wur ·s investigate the transnational reach of globalization. Working pri rmril)' in video, these artists proje:cr inu gcs that traverse national boundarit , and highlight the conAuence of culrures and technologies th.u mark our time. Using visual narratives that range: from the literal, to the imaginary. and to [he abstract, the artists engage "global ism" respond to the social violence that is preva lent in (onten as wrrcm real ity. In doing so, the works ca ll into question facile distinctions between tradition real-lifl' scenarios, their work criliques the \X/es tern Illedi and moderni[y, resilience and [c,((aint, empowerment and subjugation. They reveal a myriad of Donna Kukama performs repetitive mundane actions fl"< connections and relationships tha t em phasize similarities as well a,~ diAercnces. In their pby with rransgressive actions addressing absence as much as the f' time. space, sound. and symbol, [he films evince deeply se nsorial "landscapes" of the tra nsnaTional. works juxtapose scent's ftom Africa and Americl; [ech no 02 whit: h require us ro re think co nvenrio nal definitio ns of natio nal, communi ty. and personal Kukall1J li ves and works in [' rclOria. idemit)'. Mendi + Keith Obadike (enel) h. 1973, UnitedSllltes) "lhL exhi biting artisrs draw from thei r dive rse identities and hi.,co ries to explore compering and The duo of Mendi O badike and Kei th O badi ke creare colllraclicro ry cla ims about rhe homogenizing force ofglobalizatio n . The video p iece by Alex across genres t'x hib iring Jnd performing ar varies insti H ernindez-Duejlas rums the simple act of rhe W himey M useum of American Arr in New York ( raking a bath illlo a poignanr comm entary and rhe \X1 hirechapei Call ery in Lo ndon. Mendi reeei· o n the dispariries ofwcalrh and com rol Un ive rsity and Keith o hrained h is MfA in sound d es i over resources in ciries w here resources li ve and work in New York C ity. arc limi ted . Tiong A ng's d rea ml ike video of three Illen rerurni ng home from a day's Kambui Olujimi (h 1976, Ullited Sllltes) I(ambui Olu jimi received BFA fw m 1\lrsons Scho work speaks [() issues of class and race. h i~ popular cui rural icolls and rheir histori es. He has exhi The men, isoiated and alienared from their the coumry, including rhe W hitney :Vluscum ofAmen surroundings, stare past the camera in an rhe M use um or Modern Arc in New York Ciry, and Yo almmr rrancelike state in to rhe far d isram Fran is o. Olujillli li ves and works in New Yo rk C iry. rural landscape. Ac hillcU Komguem trains his le ns O il a chaoric intersccri o n Hank Willis lllOmas (I;. 1976, Ullited Stares) in urban Afri ca; th o ugh lacking a rra Hi e Hank W illis Thomas was rai sed in Nell' Yo rk e iry an signal - rhe ulri mate regu bting [(lo l of frolll the ali fc lrnia Coll ege of the Am. His work exp madeJ'll urban plan n ing - the c1130r ic ro cultural sy mbo ls. H is work has heen included in m How of traffic remains, mi racul o usly, including ar rhe Iv lusculll of Modcrn Art in \Jew York collisio n-free. Andrew Oosunmu draws lhe High M llsC'ulll of Art in Arianta, ,Ind rhe \X/adswo inspi rarion from rhe no mad ic, marginal Hartfo rd . Tholllas is rhe recipient of several awa rd s an li ves ofgypsies (giw ncs), who forge lies with va ri o us culru rc., and rr;ld irio ns Fatimah Tuggar (h. 1967, Nigaia) regardless of ln ri rorial bo unda ri es. I-bnk Far imah "fllggar received her M FA From Yale L: ni versil W illis Th o m as and Kambui Olujillli in tern ationa ll y ar vellues such as rh e lvloscoll' Bi ennal respond ro rbe social violence thar is preva lenr in col1l emporary society. Using roys to sim ulare Bea ux-A rts in Brussels. rh e Centre Georges Po m pido l l- li fe sce nari os, rh ei r work criri ques th l" Western media's trea rment of violence as t nrerrainmcn r. Mali. She works predominantly wirh d ig iral phorol11o Donn.! Kukama perFo rms reperitive Illundane actions fro nl dail y li fe, which becom e discreer, with those fro m the West. Us ing technology to coilap i rrJmgress i\', actions addressing abse nce a~ Illuch as the presence of rime. k uimah Tuggar's digiwl on rh e complexiry of" living hetween cultures. She li ve! work~ juxtapose scenes from AFri ca and America; rcc hno logy is used to emphasiLc rhe experiences 03 Artist Biographies of individuals who traverse multiple locations. Keith + M endi Obadike COllS(,u1ri)' work across Tiong Ang (b. /9 )/, Indolll',ia) media to examine iostiwtional boundaries of power ane! their limited capacity (() control Tiong Ang was raised and educated in the Netherl ands. M , individual subjecrs. Using poerry, music, theater, and the Intern et as their media, they ex plore footage taken during his no m adic travels throughout the \\ [I t'w wa)'s of engaging viewers. in many internati! nal ex hibitions, including the 2 ()() J Ven exhibited with illany ga ll eri~s, including the Florence 1.)'1l( TIlesc anists o perate the l.umen Travo Gallery in Amsterdam. ng lives and wo across social di"isions of race, c la ~s, and gender. Andrew Dosunmu (b. Englalld) and envision an intimate Andrew Dosunmu was rai sed and educated in N igeria. He aSSiSmJlr at the fashio n house Yve, Saint Lament and work, reality that challenges pursuing a curcer a.s a fashi o n photographer. Dosunlllu has the unifo rmity of industries, and in television w here he has directed the SOUl "globalism." Such ideas Yi7.0" :lI11ong Illany orher programs. Dosunl1lu liveS" and WI about nationhood and identity become Alex Hernandez-Duenas (b. /982, .uIJa) fragmented and Alex Hern:inckz- Dueiias studied art a t. t1w Imtituro Superi uneven hecause of the process of transIation and of appropriation. \'(/11 <][ is consistent among has cOIl1Jllcred several international reSid encies ;1I1d has ex h th ese works is tht' subversion of \XIestern power by previously m arginali zed anists. Dominant including the Musco RU(1no T II11a)'o ill .'vl<',xico , the Centr western artistic pracriccs are being chall enged as developing nations aLTOSS the world become \X/iFredo Lam ill I-Lwana, and the Bmoklyn Museum in 1 I, increasi ngly technologically and economically advanced. TIlese nations' socio-economic and VHI and IX Bi enal de La HabJlla in Cuba. Hernandez Du politica l presence can no longe r be undnmined. AlTists from these regions wresrie with how they are viewed and positioned within the art hi storical discourse and international Sce ne. 011­ Achilleka Komguem (I;. 1973. CI/meroon) Screw: Clobal lmimaq siwat 5 the dialogue about glohalism within an evolving loca li ty, where Achillck~ KOlllgUCIll received his visual am degree [i'om th the outcomes are nothing but an accumulation of counriess local actio ns. H ence the ex hibition Cam eroon. He' is also the recipient of the 2004 UNESCO explores these social interactions as an inAucnce that shapes communities and d e.fin es their rhe arts and cullUre in his coumry. His work ha ~ been inc!. citizensh ip. imcrnatio n:ll exhibitions. Be.> ides his fine art Ca reer, Koms ' journal call ed DiArtgonale. Komgucm li ves and works in ( Tumelo Mosaka Curawr Donna Kukama (b. 1981, South Aji-ica) Donna Kukuma rece i S7(~ d her Masrers of An s in rh e Public H er lVorks largely are performance, vi deo, and sound ilma r('bti o ns. She has partiCipated in numerous exhibitions inc Senegal, La Villa Outoil in Swilurlanc\, and rhe Preroria A =-c> -a ~ ~ '- ~~ i~ ' ~ ~ ~ ~i~ - 0 8. g "15 ~ ~ g - ~ ~ = ~ I ., ~ ~ ~ £ Artist Biographies locatio ns. Kei th + Mendi Oh~dike constantly work a UI"~ TiongAng (b.