Art. Community. Diversity.
Artists
FREETOWN is a fictional modular city designed to empower young artists of color through performances, installations, and interventions. This project showcases art in various locations beyond traditional museum walls. By emphasizing interaction and participation, FREETOWN brings contemporary art closer to a broad audience. The name is inspired by the capital of Sierra Leone, which symbolizes freedom and emancipation. The project aims to establish a presence in different locations, engage with diverse communities, and connect with new audiences in public spaces in close collaboration with cultural partners.
FREETOWN 2023 was situated on Zeebrugge beach during the music festivals WECANDANCE and Bomboclat in August 2023. It was a partnership between THE CONSTANT NOW and S.M.A.K Beweegt with an architectural design by Olivier Goethals.
Participating artists of FREETOWN 2023 included Agneskena, Aurélie Adriaen, Armin Alian, Younes Baba-Ali, Souhaila Maalem, Kenny Mala Ngombe, NML Art Project, Sofie Anny Nicea, Brahim Tall, Diane Marie Uwase, and Yi Zhang.
Curator: Magali Elali
Production: Lars Hiele
FREETOWN is supported by Flanders State of the Arts.
programme
WECANDANCE
Agneskena
Sofie Anny Nicea
Diane Marie Uwase
Yi Zhang
Saturday, 05.08.23
WECANDANCE
Agneskena
Aurélie Adriaen
Brahim Tall
Diane Marie Uwase
Sunday, 06.08.23
WECANDANCE
Younes Baba-Ali
Armin Alian
Sofia Anny Nicea
Saturday, 12.08.23
WECANDANCE
Armin Alian
Younes Baba -Ali
Yi Zhang
Sunday, 13.08.23
P&V Bomboclat
Festival
Souhaila Maalem
Kenny Mala Ngombe
NML Art Project
Friday, 25.08.23
P&V Bomboclat
Festival
Aurélie Adrien
Souhaila Maalem
Kenny Mala Ngombe
NML Art Project
Saturday, 26.08.23
© Diane Marie Uwase
FREETOWN is a fictional modular city celebrating artistic freedom, inclusivity, and community. Set on the beach of Zeebrugge during WECANDANCE and Bomboclat Festival, artists of color invite the audience to explore diverse cultures and artistic disciplines. Through performances, interventions, and installations, they activate a sustainable structure by architect Olivier Goethals. The project aims to bring contemporary art to a broad audience beyond museum walls.
Come dance under Brahim Tall's expressive flags and share your thoughts through NML Art Project's LED displays. Be part of Younes Baba-Ali's street vendor-inspired installation, Aurélie Adriaen's activated masks, Agneskena's sea-inspired photo booth, and watch Yi Zhang's crystallized seawater sculptures come to life. Plus, there are live drawings and paintings by Armin Alian, Souhaila Maalem, Kenny Mala Ngombe, Sofie Anny Nicea, and Diane Marie Uwase.
FREETOWN is accessible during the day (12-20h) with a festival ticket. The project is a collaboration between THE CONSTANT NOW, S.M.A.K., WECANDANCE, and P&V Bomboclat.
Coordination: Magali Elali (THE CONSTANT NOW)
Production: Lars Hiele
Graphic Design: KEEN
Supported: S.M.A.K. Beweegt, Flanders State of the Arts,
Olivier Goethals, artlead, NICC.
Add a Title
23-25.10
Agneskena
Telling stories through portraits is slowly becoming Agneskena’s (1994) trademark. Her aim is to create a moment where people can open up themselves and embrace their uniqueness. She navigates her lens in ways that makes it possible to create, explore and reimagine.
Add a Title
9-12.12
Aurélie Adriaen
The Brazilian Afro-European artist Sofie Anny Nicea (1990) is based in Belgium and specializes in aerial acrobatics, textiles, and video installations. She operates under the name Nicole Twister and performs alongside Camille Paycha and Stef van Looveren. Her drawings and paintings are inspired by dreams, childhood memories, trauma, autophobia, Asian horror, folklore, Kaiju, pattern work, and anime.
Add a Title
9-12.12
Armin Alian
Based in Linz, Austria, Armin Alian (1993) is an Iranian visual artist specializing in painting. With a contemporary approach, he delves into the realms of contemporary imagery, exploring themes of social media, politics, and identity.
Add a Title
23-25.10
Younes Baba-Ali
With his unconventional, critical art, Younes Baba-Ali (1986) challenges norms. His context-specific installations blend technology, sound, video, and photography, engaging viewers with political and social issues. While embracing controversy, his impactful work blurs boundaries between the establishment and the commoner. Based in Casablanca and Brussels, Baba-Ali enjoys international recognition.
Portrait: ©Matteo Lornardi
Add a Title
23-25.10
Sofie Anny Nicea
The Brazilian Afro-European artist Sofie Anny Nicea (1990) is based in Belgium and specializes in aerial acrobatics, textiles, and video installations. She operates under the name Nicole Twister and performs alongside Camille Paycha and Stef van Looveren. Her drawings and paintings are inspired by dreams, childhood memories, trauma, autophobia, Asian horror, folklore, Kaiju, pattern work, and anime.
Portrait: ©Stine Sampers
Add a Title
9-12.12
NML Art Project
NML's artistic work explores the complexities of individual identities. Through video, photography, writing, and installation, Maud Narfin Lonis (1994) depicts the struggles of human realities to find their place in the collective imagination. Inspired by Edouard Glissant's poetics of Relation, her work reflects contemporary issues of gender dynamics, social class, the matrix of race, and the deprivation of freedom.
Add a Title
9-12.12
Souhaila Maalem
Through the captivating lens of self-portraiture, Souhaila Maalem (2000) explores her rich Moroccan heritage employing bold colours and architectural elements that resonate with her culture. Nature serves as her muse, infusing the patterns found in nature into her work.
Add a Title
23-25.10
Kenny Mala Ngombe
Based in Brussels, visual artist Kenny Mala Ngombe (1991) works primarily with black markers, acrylic paint and oil bars. His creative focus lies in crafting captivating characters and scenes that derive inspiration from his surroundings and the vivid flow of his imagination. Through his artwork, he skillfully captures the interplay between perception and reality, depicting the inherent tension between the two.
Add a Title
23-25.10
Brahim Tall
Born to a Belgian-Dutch mother and Senegalese father, Brahim Tall's (1993) artistic journey revolves around identity, blackness, and masculinity. He studied photography at LUCA School of Arts, Brussels, laying the groundwork for his exploration of representation. Graduating with his project 'Tukuleur' in 2022, he received the Flemish Audiovisual Fund's Wildcard. Nightlife serves as a vital medium for his self-expression.
Portrait: ©Tim Evers
Add a Title
9-12.12
Diane Marie Uwase
The work of Diane Marie Uwase (1993) features allegorical portraits that explore the shifting states of being. Through the use of surreal, collage, and geometric elements, her art blurs the boundaries between reality and fiction, evoking a sense of mystery surrounding each character's existence and their psychological spaces. She aims to present these spaces and hypotheses while actively seeking possible answers through research and engagement.
Portrait: ©Kris Remels
Add a Title
9-12.12
Yi Zhang
Born in China and based in the Netherlands and Belgium, Yi Zhang (1996) is a visual artist. Through installations and performances and by using everyday materials, she uncovers the unspoken gaps within situations. Yi’s work communicates and connects through soft gestures and intimate situations, forming a verbless language.
Add a Title
23-25.10