CWA PICKS: SPRING 2023

College Art, 6 March 2023
The CAA Committee on Women in the Arts (CWA) Spring Picks focus on exhibitions and literature that explore an interrelatedness of art and science. From the science of future technology to the science of biology, these artists utilize traditional and technological materials in their heterogeneous work.
 
Pamela Enyonu, February 28 – March 28 
AKKA Projects, Dubai 
What is Fear? 
Why do we Fear equality? 
How does this Fear of achieving equality express itself in and around me? 
This artistic essay is an exploration of the phenomenon of fear, and the positions it is experienced from; the instigation of fear and the effects it has on individual bodies and entire communities. What are the elements that create fear, how do the instigators of fear experience it and weaponise fear to curtail autonomy, and how is this activity systemised because it grows in scope and effectiveness; mass hysteria. 
The artistic intervention aims to assess whether the effects of fear can be countered or even anticipated and to study the damage fear has on the quality of human expression. Pamela Enyonu was born in 1985 in Kampala, Uganda where she  currently lives and works. Pamela studied Art and Design at the Kyambogo University Banda of Kampala, Uganda.  Her artistic career started in 2017 with a 3 months residency at 32 degrees East, in Kampala, where she navigated the politics of identity, trauma, and healing. After her residency, she was invited to host a solo exhibition in June 2017. Another artist’s residency in Paris, France, followed in 2020, on the occasion of Africa 2020. In 2022, Enyonu has concluded her residency at AKKA Project in Venice, Italy, also being hosted by ProHelvetia, Zurich, Switzerland, in the same year. 
Pamela’s style is inspired by stories, materials, and the process it takes to transform them into works of art. Her works present a tactile and 3-dimensional quality that richly layered textures exploring narratives on gender, identity, empowerment, and self-awareness. Pamela is particularly interested in the “untokenized” experiences occupying the intersection of empowerment, mental health, and identity. She continuously engages with the different communities through collaborations, workshops and seminars. Recently, some of Pamela’s latest works have been acquired by Africa First, and have become part of its private collection of contemporary African art.