We are thrilled to welcome Phokeng Setai as the newest resident at G.A.S. Foundation, a curator whose practice sits at the intersection of art, architecture, design, and urban studies. During his residency from August 12th to August 30th, 2024, Phokeng will embark on research, exploring scaffolding structures and debris netting as potential sites for public art interventions in Lagos. He aims to reimagine these unassuming urban elements as new terrains for exhibition-making and cultural discourse. With a strong academic background in African contemporary art, Phokeng is eager to immerse himself in the vibrant Lagos art scene, engage with local practitioners, and foster transnational collaborations. This residency marks his first time in Lagos, and we look forward to the insights and contributions he will bring to our cultural community.
What is the current focus of your practice?
I’m an interdisciplinary cultural practitioner working at the intersection of curatorial practice and artistic research. The focus of my academic research has been on advancing inquiry into the fields of African contemporary art and emergent modes of cultural production. I came across curatorial practice in the last five years and I have adopted it as a medium of ventilating some of the methodological frustrations I encountered in my scholarly research based in the disciplines of Anthropology and Sociology. My curatorial practice is informed by my academic background in the social sciences. I have a wide-ranging set of interdisciplinary interests, styles and approaches through which my practice is articulated. In broad terms, my curatorial practice involves experimenting with different models in the investigation of various artistic and research-based inquiries. I perceive curatorial practice as an independent field of knowledge production and multimodal vehicle of discursive inquiry that is able to bridge existing gaps between knowledge and practice. After the completion of my doctoral research in which I wrote about contemporary African strategies of curatorial practice and pedagogy. I have shifted my focus onto the crossover of contemporary art practices into the fields of urban studies, architectural practice and football scholarship.
This stays between you and me (2021), installation view. Image © The Plot Gallery.
What drew you to apply for this residency and how do you think it will inform your wider practice?
G.A.S. is renowned for its focus on the arts, design, curatorial practice, and research in one of the most enterprising cities in the world. The opportunity to spend time in residence at G.A.S. in the vibrant city of Lagos is incredibly appealing to me. Lagos, with its dynamic environment, offers the chance to work alongside artists, curators, and researchers from different parts of the world, each with strong practices and unique ways of doing things that I can certainly learn from. I am particularly eager to travel to Lagos to collaborate with makers and thinkers there. Building solidarities through cultural work on the continent is important to me, and this residency offers that opportunity and more. Engaging with the diverse and rich cultural landscape of Lagos will not only enhance my own practice but also contribute to meaningful cultural exchange and growth.
This stays between you and me (2021), installation view. Image © The Plot Gallery.
Can you give us an insight into how you hope to use the opportunity?
The opportunity to learn and discover a new context excites me. I aim to learn as much as possible from the practitioners I encounter at the residency and in Lagos. I want to fully immerse myself in the city's culture, food, and music. I plan to make the most of G.A.S. Foundation's infrastructure, including its archives and libraries, and leverage its contacts to further develop my curatorial research project. I envision this project evolving into an exhibition and possibly a publication in the future. The time I spend at G.A.S. will be a crucial period in building towards these outcomes.
This stays between you and me (2021), installation view. Image © The Plot Gallery.
About Phokeng Setai
I am an interdisciplinary cultural practitioner working at the intersection of curatorial practice and artistic research. My academic research focuses on African contemporary art and emergent modes of cultural production. Over the past five years, I have embraced curatorial practice as a means to address methodological frustrations from my scholarly research in Anthropology and Sociology. My curatorial work is deeply informed by my social sciences background and encompasses a wide range of interdisciplinary interests and approaches. I experiment with various models to investigate artistic and research inquiries, viewing curatorial practice as an independent field of knowledge production and a multimodal vehicle for discursive inquiry. After completing my doctoral research on contemporary African curatorial strategies and pedagogy, I have shifted my focus to the crossover of contemporary art with urban studies, architectural practice, and football scholarship.
Phokeng's residency is generously supported by A4 Arts Foundation.