Reconnecting with the Land: Sethembile Msezane
Screening & Talk

Join us at Autograph's gallery for a screening of ISIMO, a contemplative film developed in the wake of Covid-19 by artist Sethembile Msezane in response to a personal and societal need to maintain mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. In the film, Msezane explores indigenous South African wellbeing practices – recognising the land, its plants and all their healing properties as a holistic route that addresses the need for wellness during the pandemic and the wider ongoing pressures of the postcolonial experience.

The screening will be followed by a conversation with the artist about the film, her art practice and personal politics. We will consider how the film reflects a wider creative practice underpinned by spiritual and political symbolism, issues around spirituality, commemoration, and African knowledge systems.

We will end with an audience Q&A, and Msezane will give a preview of her newest work Let the Emerald Village Carry Me.

Have a question you’d like to send in advance for the Q&A? Email learning@autograph-abp.co.uk with ‘Reconnecting’ in the subject line and we’ll aim to answer as many questions as we can on the day.

This event will take place in person at Autograph's gallery in Hackney, London.

Bolanle Tajudeen (she/her) is the founder of Black Blossoms—an expanded curatorial platform showcasing contemporary Black non-binary artists and women since 2015. She is also a lead tutor of Art in the Age of Black Girl Magic, an in-depth course on Black womxn artists which she devised in 2017. The course has been delivered at Tate, Southbank, and The Photographers’ Gallery.

In 2020, the Black Blossoms School of Art and Culture was established as an e-learning platform that expands critical and diverse thought. The aim of the school to decolonise, deconstruct and democratise art and creative education.