The professional development programme facilitated by the Exit Frame collective—an artist- and curator-collective comprised of Adwoa Amoah, Bernard Akoi-Jackson, Ato Annan, Kelvin Haizel and Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh— that is designed for artists, curators, and critics comes to Kumasi in 2021 after its debut in Accra a year ago.

Building on the success of the inaugural edition of CritLab in 2020 Exit Frame collective is partnering with the Foundation for Contemporary Art – Ghana, KNUST Museum and blaxTARLINES (Department of Painting & Sculpture, KNUST) to co-organise the 2021 edition in the city of Kumasi. Kumasi has been at the forefront of cutting-edge ideas and practices in contemporary art from Ghana, and indeed from Africa, for more than a decade. CritLab 2021 migrates into this critical community to continue in its ambition to establish systems of exchanges that will bring facilitators and participants together in developing their respective practices with the aim of generating relevant local and international conversations related to international exhibition culture, the art market, art history, critical theory and much more. The programme will run in Kumasi between 1st – 13th November, 2021.

CritLab aims to build a network of professionals who desire to push the boundaries of art production, art thought, and exhibition making in the international field of contemporary art. The programme rigorously absorbs participants in a schedule of site visits, seminars, curated screenings, thematic roundtable discussions, and presentations that lean into critical studio practice, while addressing the processes involved in developing concepts, exhibition proposals, and professional profiles related to portfolio development, graduate study, critical writing, documentation of work, accessing global resources and social networking.

CritLab brings together professionals from art institutions and universities in Ghana and elsewhere around the world who will facilitate practical and intellectual exchanges. Individual and group advisement sessions, lectures, studio visits, and roundtable discussions will be led by a group of professionals that includes Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung (curator and co-founder of SAVVY Contemporary in Berlin, Germany), Chiara Figone (publisher, editor and founder of Archive publishing house), among others.