Association for Art History 2025

Description

Conference strand: Community and Activism in the Global South

Paper title: Art activism and collaboration in South Africa: kindness, connection, play

Abstract: This paper discusses the longstanding relationship with the Keiskamma Art Project located in the rural villages of Hamburg and Bodiam in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The Keiskamma Art Project is known internationally for its large-scale textile activist artworks. This working relationship has developed over 10 years, 4 projects, and the following outputs: 16 documentary films (2015, 2017 and 2022), a small-scale textile of the Keiskamma Guernica (2017) and a large-scale painted canvas (2022) created in collaboration with Kids’ Guernica. Over this period there has been a shift in research focus from the art historical study of the large-scale textile Keiskamma Guernica (2010) to attending to the recording of the creative process and elevation of the lived experiences of the artists – evolving to future facing creative development with young people, in this rural location in South Africa. The legacy of this collaboration is community commitment.

Ashmore and Watt will explore the impact of embodied artistic and curatorial practices utilised in 2022, working with Kids’ Guernica and the Keiskamma Art Project to facilitate an intergenerational peace painting workshop, a Learning Lab and pop-up exhibition. These activities cultivated creative play and connection, developed through a kindness pedagogy (Grant & Pittaway, 2024). Michaela Howse, Manager of the Keiskamma Art Project reflected on the activities: “something’s woken up in me again as to how transformative art is. The potential, the political impact, the sort of strengths of having an imagination because it generates possibilities and that politically is very important” (2022).

Period	9 Apr 2025
Event type	Conference
Location	York, United KingdomShow on map