We are very happy to share that our fellow Bernard Akoi-Jackson is featured on ICA podcast! Tune in to Season 4 Episode 3 to hear more about his site-specific work, DESTINATIONS - With Anthem for The Union (…and where, from birth, would they have berthed, should a dearth of destinations have prevailed?).

Navigating the nuances of this complex work in the podcast, Akoi-Jackson reflects on his theory of ‘disturbed methodologies’ - in one instance he created a whole new anthem with the help of the public, a wry critique of the African Union. This prolific and deeply engaging artist goes onto examine ritual, rites of passage and disruption through his method of performance.

Season 4 of the ICA Podcast comprises interviews conducted by Nkgopoleng Moloi and  produced by Atiyyah Khan.

The Institute for Creative Arts (ICA) is an interdisciplinary institute based in the University of Cape Town’s Humanities Faculty, formerly known as the Gordon Institute for Performing and Creative Arts (GIPCA). Since 2008, the Institute has fostered innovative practice and research in the creative and performing arts that works across the disciplines of music, dance, fine art, drama, literature and film, with a particular focus on black practitioners and issues that affect black South Africans.

The ICA’s publication Acts of Transgression: Contemporary Live Art in South Africa, published last year by Wits University Press, was initiated in response to a literary vacuum. Before 2019, there was no comprehensive text dedicated to Live Art in South Africa, and so there was limited discourse to speak about the politically resonant form that it takes in our country. Acts of Transgression sought to begin filling this critical gap. 

The ICA Podcast extends the work begun by Acts of Transgression through conversations with the creators and curators of Live Art.

The study of Live Art has tended to rely disproportionately on Euro-American texts and discussions. The ICA Podcast makes a critical intervention into this status quo: a platform for South African artists to speak to their work, in their own words.

Also, our fellow Nkule Mabaso was also featured on the podcast back in 2020. Listen to the conversation with her about her experience creating and curating performative interventions and installations that probe the politics of hair and beauty (season 1, episode 8).

Spotify Bernard Akoi-Jackson
Spotify Nkule Mabaso

ICA Podcast