projects

Dropping In and Out is an interdisciplinary research project that explores how different historical and geographical contexts shape the ways in which the artistic legacies of women* and nonbinary people are conceived and experienced, and how we, as authors today, can help recover the work and impact of those who came before us. Aiming to address gaps in genealogical narratives of feminist artistic practice and foster reciprocal solidarity across time and space, the project traces the erasure of women* artists’ biographies.

Beyond the Method is the first edition of Open Speech, a discussion series initiated by art&dialogue member Daniela Salazar that brings together artists, researchers, and practitioners to share their methods, processes, and experiences. Through presentations, screenings, performances, and open discussion, Open Speech creates a space for exchange around participatory, collaborative, and interdisciplinary practices.

Gbegbetopia – Reimagining Knowledge Sharing rethinks the concept of the book as a multisensory experience that challenges conventional categorizations and moves beyond the limitations of a fixed, time-bound printed object on a shelf. Knowledge sharing extends beyond traditional text-based formats to explore different methods of knowledge transfer and exchange.

Inspired by James Carse’s concept of the “infinite game,” participants are invited to imagine themselves as hybrid beings moving between human and nonhuman perspectives and to engage in shared tasks that generate new forms of relation, creativity, and play.

As part of the development of Maison Gbegbe, an interreligious center in Agouegan, Togo, the project brought together a preconfiguration council of people from diverse geographical, social, and cultural backgrounds. Their different perspectives helped inform the center’s development, taking into account the complex histories and ongoing debates surrounding Maison Gbegbe and the entangled (pre)colonial histories of the Aného region. The project also organized Gbegbe Days, a series of activities that included divination, discussions, community mobilization workshops, and a concert.

Assembling Past and Future was developed in collaboration with a network of cultural workers and peace activists. The project transforms the exhibition space into a virtual congress or assembly, bringing together historical images and texts—including materials from the First International Congress of Women, held in The Hague in 1915—with statements and portraits of peace activists recorded a century later.

Pulling Matter from Unknown Sources was a collaborative project with L’Union des Cultes Traditionnels du Togo (UCTT) that brought together artists, scholars, cultural researchers, spiritual dignitaries, political activists, and cultural practitioners to explore and exchange different cosmologies, forms of spiritual knowledge, and narratives. In January 2020, a European collector returned a Mami Wata sculpture to UCTT, raising the question of where it should be housed. This question eventually gave rise to the idea of Maison Gbegbe, an interreligious cultural center in Togo.