The Supreme Exodus (House of Yemaya Okute) created an experiential space in which the narrative center of the project acknowledge the past, identity and culture of diasporic communities and migration in the 21st Century, while the interaction with the public investigated ways for introducing hybridized ideas inspired by Afro Cuban traditions to new generations.
In Collaboration with The Wilfredo Lam Centre of Contemporary Art & Detras Del Muro, important institutions within the Havana Biennial, we wanted the project to access public participation and to be as wide as possible. The intentions and ideas behind the Supreme Exodus are to make new spaces that make a connection with the city. As an exile artist in Amsterdam from the Latin American Diaspora, I feel myself reinventing Latin Americaʼs regional identity with projects that are reinforcing the identity of migrant citizens and researching on the idea of Afropolitanism.
For the Supreme Exodus I worked with Dutch Servian Designer Iva Jankovic and a team of academic researchers, textile designers, Cuban musicians like Grammy award winner Gaston Joya, Afro Cuban Dancers, producers and ultimately in collaboration with African Tailors, Groninger Museum and with students from the Minerva Art Academy in Groningen. In this way we created a collaborative project that support all the stages of the costumes and the installation process.
Photos: by Jenny Sanchez
This project was made possible by the generous support of the Mondriaan Fund.