Kunstmuseum Basel
July 2024
onereez.com
Overview
Functional Art Within Community
Kunstmuseum Basel
The whole direction of this conversation + discussion is to find a way back to understanding the importance of organization and community through art within different African communities.

I’ll highlight a couple of different cultures who’ve over time built strategies to keep their communities close, using art as a central piece.
What Is Community?
Functional Art Within Community
Kunstmuseum Basel
Defining community is complex, often seen through two lenses: the Individualist Idea and the Collective Idea. In an era dominated by individualism, the concept of community can feel distant. Yet, we innately understand the value of collective thinking, especially within African contexts influenced by historical factors like colonization and the slave trade.

We'll delve into the technologies, concepts, and art forms that have shaped both individualist and collective mindsets.
Hair
Functional Art Within Community
Kunstmuseum Basel
Hair braiding is a ubiquitous form of body art in Africa, transcending time and place. Unlike other forms of body decoration, hair braiding is practiced across all African cultures, symbolizing ethnicity, gender, and socio-economic status.

Traditionally, it was a domestic activity fostering female sociability and passing down knowledge through generations. This practice exemplifies how art serves as a communal activity and a medium of cultural expression.
Eniwaye Oluwaseyi
Lady Gift of The Foreign Land
Kwaku Reez Opoku
Don’t worry about your future.