Exhibition Opening: Dineo Seshee Bopape
Join us at the ICA Friday, September 24 to celebrate the opening of our new exhibition Dineo Seshee Bopape: Ile aye, moya, là, ndokh…harmonic conversations…mm.
The event will feature music by Michael Demps and WRIR’s DJ Graybeard, an offering by poet and speaker Bayo Akomolafe, and remarks by artist Dineo Seshee Bopape and curator Amber Esseiva. Refreshments and a cash bar will be available throughout the evening.
Ile aye, moya, là, ndokh…harmonic conversations…mm is a solo exhibition by South African artist Dineo Seshee Bopape. The show’s title calls to the elements—earth, wind, fire, and water—summoned in various languages from West and Southern Africa, and features new works spanning video, sculpture, installation, and animation. In the words of Bopape:
This exhibition pays homage to those who were taken, those who struggled, those who fled, and those who still seek sanctuary in the liminal spaces between captivity and an illegal freedom.
While this event is free and open to the public, we encourage you to RSVP using this link.
6 PM
Doors open with DJ Graybeard in the Thinking Field, refreshments, and a cash bar
Exhibition tour with members, donors, and invited guests by ICA director Dominic Asmall Willsdon, curator Amber Esseiva, and artist Dineo Seshee Bopape. Walk-in guests are welcome to participate as well.
7:30 PM
Recorded incantation by Bayo Akomolafe along with remarks by artist Dineo Seshee Bopape and curator Amber Esseiva.
8:00 PM
DJ set from Michael Demps
10 PM
Event Ends
BAYO AKOMOLAFE
Bayo Akomolafe (Ph.D.) is a widely celebrated international speaker, posthumanist thinker, poet, teacher, public intellectual, essayist, and author of books, These Wilds Beyond our Fences: Letters to My Daughter on Humanity’s Search for Home (North Atlantic Books) and We Will Tell our Own Story: The Lions of Africa Speak. He is the Chief Curator of The Emergence Network and host of the online postactivist course, “We Will dance with Mountains.” Rooted with the Yoruba people in a more-than-human world, Bayo Akomolafe is the father to Alethea and Kyah, the grateful life-partner to Ije, son and brother.
MICHAEL DEMPS
Michael Demps is an interdisciplinary artist, musician, and DJ. A graduate of the Yale School of Art, he now serves on the faculty at RISD. Recent shows include working with at The Visual Arts Center of Richmond, in collaboration with Lily Cox-Richard, Fictions at The Studio Museum in Harlem, and performances as part of Rashid Johnson’s Monument at the ICA. His sculptures have incorporated candle wax, magnetic marbles, rock salt, and low frequency sounds. His DJ set for Dineo Bopape’s opening will draw on his experiences as a sound artist and vinyl collector, with a collection that numbers over 5,000 records.
DJ GRAYBEARD
Graybeard is a longtime DJ at WRIR 97.3 FM. He hosts “The Other Black Music”, airing every other Sunday 3-5pm, and co-hosts “The Motherland Influence” along with DJ Daudi, featuring African, Latin, and Caribbean music, every Sunday 5-7 PM. His radio shows are rebroadcast on stations around the US, Canada and New Zealand.
Do I need a ticket?
This event is free and open to the public! Tickets are not required for entry. We do encourage you to RSVP in advance so that we can anticipate event attendance.
Where can I park?
Complimentary parking is available in VCU’s QQ Lot located next to the ICA at 608 W Grace Street. Spaces are limited. Additional parking is available on Grace Street and Pine Street.
Will there be food and drinks?
Yes! Refreshments and cash bar provided.
What’s your mask policy?
In keeping with current CDC guidelines, visitors, staff, & volunteers, vaccinated as well as unvaccinated, are required to wear masks while visiting the ICA.
If you forget your mask, disposable masks are available at the front desk.
I can’t find the answer to my question. Now what?
Please call or email. We are happy to provide assistance and information.
ica@vcu.edu | 804.828.2823