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IFAA |
Celebrating a Culture of CulturesAbout IFAAIFAA is an international – cross -disciplinary festival and artist in residency platform that takes place in different cities across the globe. Set up as an ephemeral space of encounter / experimental Lab for art and knowledge production, it brings together artists from all over the world interested in collaborations that:
Background of IFAA The 2008 IFAA pilot project was initiated by Thamgidi Foundation and Produced by Thamgidi Executive Director and IFAA artistic director S’thabile Mlotshwa. From its onset, IFAA was built to be a platform that celebrates a “Culture of Cultures” bringing together professional and emerging artists from across the globe to temporarily live and work together and most importantly to share and exchange knowledge, amongst each other and most importantly with diverse audiences.  As a pilot project, the focus of 2008 IFAA was on contemporary visual arts, including education, film, music, contemporary dance, culinary, performing arts, fashion, a curatorial platform, debates, public space projects, literature, and poetry. To make IFAA possible, Thamgidi partnered with 25 regional, national and international Arts and cultural organizations with the aim of creating an international platform for the Gelderland region. The 2008 IFAA partners included funding bodies, cultural institutions, the corporate sector and governmental institutions. Although the 2008 IFAA was initiated with the intention of creating a biannual event, its success turned IFAA into a project that now takes place in different cities across the globe. The spin-off from the 2008 IFAA resulted in the 2009 IFAA traveling exhibition shown within the Africa 53 project curated by artist and curator Kevin Dalton Johnson – 2008 IFAA participant and done in partnership with The CIVIC , The Cooper Gallery and Barnsley Metropolitan borough council, UK. In the same year, Stichting Art in Redlight partnered with Thamgidi Foundation and IFAA for the Major IFAA travelling exhibition that included an artist in residency and table of discussions, in Amsterdam, with the Apes Container on their project How Much is Enough. As a result of the above success Thamgidi Foundation received a proposal and invitation from Beijing Studio Centre, for IFAA to be realized in Beijing. This led to a 2010 visit to Beijing, China by Thamgidi Foundation. Current developments within the IFAA Art Platform include:
Thamgidi Foundation started IFAA after the first delegation visit of Res Artis (www.resartis.org) to the 2006 Dakart biennale in Senegal www.biennaledakar.org. The visit of Res Artis was the first step aimed at implementing long lasting contacts with Africa and to increase memberships from this region of the world. During this visit, eleven fully funded residencies were awarded to biennial artists by the Res Artis members in attendance. Among the delegation was Thamgidi Foundation who gave two fully funded grants. As an organization initiated by an artist from Zimbabwe, Thamgidi Foundation is aware of the need to build strong platforms that facilitate and strengthen artists in residency exchange. It is with this reason that Thamgidi foundation built the IFAA art platform with the purpose of continuing the dialogue and to strengthen the links of international cross-cultural exchange that began in 2006 at the Dakart biennale. Artists who received the Res Artis in 2006 at the Dakart biennale were the first to take part in IFAA 2008. The visit of Res Artis to Senegal thus paved the way to create strong links of artists in residency exchange between artists from Africa and Europe to begin with. Since inception, IFAA continues to strengthen cross-cultural artists in residency exchange. This is thanks to the 2008 partners among them; Funding partners: Fonds BKVB www.fondsbkvb.nl Hivos NCDO www.hivosncdocultuurfonds.nl, www.hivos.nl Provincie Gelderland www.gelderland.nl Thamgidi Foundation www.thamgidi.org Prins Bernhard Cultuur fonds www.prinsbernhardcultuurfonds.nl For more information about all the IFAA partners click here      |
