A group of artists and curators from the Department of Painting and Sculpture of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi participated in the "Gasthof 2022" at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste- Städelschule in Frankfurt and Documenta 15 in Kassel, respectively. The Documenta exhibition of contemporary art is regarded as the most prestigious in the art world and is held in Kassel, Germany, once every five years. It is recognised as the world's most significant contemporary art event. Gudskul, who are participating artists, sent a historic invitation to blaxTARLINES to take part in the fifteenth edition of Documenta (2022). Only one other Ghanaian, Ibrahim Mahama, a distinguished artist who graduated from the Department of Painting and Sculpture, took part in this event. The blaxTARLINES’ participation in this event stems from the Department’s longstanding relationship with Städelschule, yielding in exchange programmes between the two institutions initiated by Willem de Rooij (artist and professor at Städelschule), kąrî’kạchä seid’ou and Kwaku Boafo Kissiedu (of blaxTARLINES KUMASI, Dept. of Painting & Sculpture, KNUST).

The blaxTARLINES KUMASI - the contemporary art incubator at the Department of Painting and Sculpture - led by Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh, Assistant Research Fellow, represented KNUST in both events from 4th to 16th July 2022.

“Gasthof 2022” is a multidisciplinary event that involves several international partners. The one-week programme, led by Prof. Yasmil Raymond (Rector of the Städelschule and Director of Portikus) and Prof. Haegue Yang (Vice Rector and Professor of Fine Arts) at Hochschule für Bildende Künste- Städelschule, offers a platform for students and young practitioners to exchange and create new networks, meet established artists, scholars, and curators while attending an intensive week of lectures, workshops and many more in Frankfurt, Germany. The programme takes place from 4th -11th July, 2022.

About Kelas Bareng

Kelas Bareng (Joint Class) is an experimental pedagogical project which emerged out of collaborative efforts between the educational institutions Gudskul (Indonesia), Städelschule (Germany), blaxTARLINES KUMASI (Department of Painting & Sculpture, KNUST, Ghana), and Nordland Kunst- og filmhøgskole (Norway) in 2020. The joint class has so far been held virtually on Zoom. In each respective institution students and/or facilitators gather ‘live’, if the Covid-19 regulations allow, to be able to exchange with their friends and collaborators overseas. The event is co-organized by Gesyada Siregar (Gudskul), Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh (blaxTARLINES), Philippe Pirotte (Städelschule) and Knut Åsdam (Nordland). Previous guests of Kelas Bareng include Hilmar Farid, Nontobeko Ntombela, Monica Narula and Shuddhabrata Sengupta (Raqs Media Collective), Shubigi Rao, Farah Wardani with Anwar Jimpe, Pius Sigit Kuncoro and Natasha Sidharta, Ericka Flores Hidalgo, Selom Kudjie, Dicky Takndare (Udeido Collective), Commune6X3, and Camille Norment.

Kelas Bareng shifted from its virtual space into the first live sessions held at the Fridericianum Museum in Kassel. Participants from each school gathered to learn together in the spirit of mutual exchanges while producing, sharing, and recording knowledge. In the context of the overarching curatorial framework for documenta fifteen, lumbung - which inheres principles of collaboration, participation, inclusivity, generosity, and humour - Kelas Bareng will function as one of the experimental pedagogic models that serve to deepen the “tradition of sharing” already at play in the artistic and economic models set in motion at documenta fifteen. The programme will consist of a series of collaborative pedagogical projects and live sessions with access to resources of knowledge from a local and global network with the goal of the long-term sustainability of ideas and economics in contemporary art practices.

Participants include Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh (Assist. Research Fellow), Jeffrey Asharku Otoo, Frederick Ebenezer Okai, Nicholas Ofori, Alhassan Issah, Irene Piloya, Godelive Kabena Kasangati, Kelvin Kwaku Haizel, Elele Bosoka, Sarah Owusu, Jeremiah Quarshie, Ernest Kankam, Samuel Baah Kortey, Rebecca de Marchi, Jeremiah Quarshie and Theresa Ankomah.