SPACES International Artist in Residence Exhibition

The Village of Arts and Humanities (the Village) presents an exhibition featuring two installations by West African social practice artists Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh and Olanre Tejuoso as the culmination of their nine-month participation in SPACES International Artist Residency Initiative. Together, the artist teams transformed discarded materials into an immersive memorial to love, loss, and community ties, housed inside a formerly abandoned warehouse across from the Village.

Tejuoso's Material Memory is a large-scale sculptural installation that blends art and community organizing, created in collaboration with the local community. In preparing for the installation, Tejuoso convened neighbors and community members to participate in "sewing circles," during which they shared personal memories of loss in an effort to identify "sites of peace."

Ohene-Ayeh collaborated with local artists to document North Philadelphia's unique creativity through a series of open mics, artist talks, and studio sessions. The artist's culminating work, Relational Strategies, is an immersive in-studio installation that invites audiences to experience ephemeral moments that occurred during the residency.