Invited by UBC’s Social Justice Institute and the Critical + Creative Social Justice Studies Cluster, Artist-in-Residence Grace Ndiritu will lead the weeklong workshop Healing Justice, focused on bringing together spirituality and activist methodologies.
The workshop will involve academics, students, and artists based in the Vancouver area, unceded xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwu7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaʔɬ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) territories.
Artist Bio
Grace Ndiritu (Kenya/UK) studied Textile Art at Winchester School of Art, UK; De Ateliers, Amsterdam. Ndiritu made the radical decision in 2012 only to spend time in the city when necessary, and to otherwise live in rural, alternative and often spiritual communities while expanding her research into nomadic lifestyles and training in esoteric studies such as shamanism, which she began over 18 years ago. Her research into community life has so far resulted in the founding of The Ark: Center for Interdisciplinary Experimentation.
In 2012 Ndiritu began creating a new body of works under the title Healing the Museum. It came out of a need to re-introduce non-rational methodologies such as shamanism to re-activate the ‘sacredness’ of art spaces. Her most ambitious shamanic performance to date, A Meal for My Ancestors: Healing the Museum, included staff members of the UN, NATO, EU parliament, activists, and refugees at Thalielab, Brussels (2018). In 2018, Ndiritu launched COVERSLUTc, a new ‘Pay What You Can’ fashion label focused on democracy and class struggle, which involves working with refugees and migrants.
Recent solo performances and exhibitions include Bluecoat, Liverpool (2019), S.M.A.K. & M.S.K., Belgium (2019), Africa Museum Tervuren, Belgium (2019), Fundacio Antoni Tapies, Barcelona (2017), Laboratoires d’Aubervilliers, Paris (2016), Glasgow School of Art (2015), Museum Modern of Art, Warsaw (2014), Musee de la Chasse et de la Nature, and Centre Pompidou, Paris (2013).
The workshop at UBC is part of THE YEAR OF BLACK HEALING (2020). A year-long international program of exhibitions, performances, and talks focusing on Grace Ndiritu’s work leading up to the BLACK HEALING exhibition in June 2020. It engages questions such as afro-futurism, activism, spiritual practice, black culture, and neo-liberalism.
HEALING JUSTICE – EVENTS:
Monday September 9, 6-8pm Artist talk at Museum of Vancouver @ Museum of Vancouver Studio Room (includes free admission to the museum before the talk)
Tuesday September 10, 2-4pm Reading Group: Art, Care and Social Justice at UBC BC Binning Studios, Manuel Piña’s Studio
Wednesday September 11, 12-4pm Workshop ‘Building A Community’ at UBC Long House, MOA
Thursday September 12, at 4pm ‘Building A Community’ Public Performative Actions at VPL Downtown.
Friday September 13, at 11am Decompress & Looking to the Future at Burnaby Mountain
* It is not required to attend all events to participate, although highly recommended.
Note that on Thursday 12th there will be a public intervention/performance at downtown that will be a result of work developed on Wednesday 11th during the Building a Community Workshop.
Questions can be directed to:
Manuel Pina: manuel.pina@ubc.ca
Guadalupe Martinez: guadalupe.martinez@ubc.ca