The ruins of the incomplete University of African Future in Dakar, are one of the few remaining traces of former diplomatic relations between Senegal and Taiwan, which supported the project in the late 1990s. The brutalist, postmodern architecture included neo-Sudanese auditoriums, and a reversed concrete pyramid for library: a radical design for a pan-African utopia. Unearthing the remnants of this and other post-independence infrastructures of knowledge, Hamedine Kane and Stéphane Verlet-Bottéro’s work The School of Mutants, in collaboration with a number of artists, researchers and specialists, delves into the broader archives of Afro-Asianism. This conversation aims to re-visit this historical sequence of political partnership between Taiwan and Senegal, and discuss its speculative potential to consider and amplify current transformative scenarios in the Global South. Intended as a dialogue, it invites experts in the field to examine how these questions are thought across Asia, from the perspective of theoretical arguments in postcolonial studies as well as political and historical discourse.
Some topics to cover
．Consider Taiwan-China-Africa diplomatic relations historically and now in relation to Cold War mentality and national identity as well as its representation in scholarly and artistic renditions; the ideas of mutation and utopia
． Architecture: The University fo African Future and comparable architectural structures, comparison with Taiwan’s other aid efforts in Africa and local mosquito halls, with a focus on education related projects
．Linguistic diversity: empty electoral promises and communicative confusion in complex linguistic environments (Senegal: French and other ethnic languages; Taiwan’s use of Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka, Japanese and other aboriginal languages)
Lou Mo / Moderator
Lou Mo is independent curator with work experience in museums, an auction house and an international gallery. She is invited curator of the 14th Dakar Biennale and interested in investigating current issues related to themes such as diaspora, identity, and perception through contemporary art, especially in regions previously considered as non-centres.
Stéphane Verlet-Bottéro / The School of Mutants project artist
Stéphane Verlet-Bottéro (b. 1987, lives and works in Paris and London) is an artist, environmental engineer, and sometimes curator. In 2018 he initiated, in collaboration with filmmaker Hamedine Kane, The School of Mutants, an art and research project in Dakar.
Olivia Anani / The School of Mutants project researcher
Olivia Anani (b. 1987, Côte d’Ivoire) is a writer, curator and art market specialist based in Paris. With a background in Asian Studies, Contemporary Art and Art Market spanning three continents, she is interested in art from a global perspective and has worked with many important global institutions such as the Musée du Louvre and the Centre Pompidou.
Thiombiano Dramane / Invited speaker
Thiombiano Dramane is from Burkina Faso. He is Assistant Professor in the International Master Program of Asia-Pacific Affairs at National Sun Yat-Sen University in Taiwan. His research and interests deal with China and Africa relations, Taiwanese political economy, cross-strait relation, cross-cultural exchanges and Taiwan-Africa relation.
Nobuo Takamori / Invited speaker
Nobuo Takamori is an independent curator and the director of “Outsiders Factory”, a curators collective. He is interested in investigating Asian cross-cultural phenomenas through contemporary art. A prolific curator and writer, Takamori is a keen observer and researcher of regional culture, historic memory and local culture from developing countries, previously colonized places and non-Western regions.
Date: Sunday, November 21nd 2020
Time: 14:30 - 17:00
Please arrive ten minutes prior to event start time
Venue: Wang Da Hong House Theatre
Number of participants: 15
Registration period: Please register on TFAM website before November 21th 2020
Live Stream：https://www.instagram.com/theschoolofmutants/
The School of Mutants is coproduced by Le Lieu Unique and Taipei Biennial 2020.