Curiosity, Culture and The Power of Perspective
Photographs by Andrés Cardona / Vist Projects
For artists around the world, portfolio and peer reviews hold vastly different values and connotations - for some it remains the gold standard for feedback, for many, a barrier to access that requires revisiting the global culture of expertise.
Deepening our commitment to changing the storyteller, 13 fellows from 9 countries travelled to eKhaya Storytelling, Research and Dive Centre; supported by VIST Projects and Africa Refocused who partnered to bring essential South x South-relevant practices to an intimate residency designed to challenge the colonial gaze and hone each artists natural instincts in approaching, making and sequencing their lens-based work.
Led by Claudi Carreras from Spain, he worked alongside a team of long time collaborators and industry talents; Andrés Cardona from Colombia (Visual Artist, National Geographic Explorer), Jorge Panchoaga from Colombia (Photographer, Filmmaker and Content Director) and Marta Nin i Camps from Spain (Cultural Director and Curator).
The Power of Perspectives Photography Lab brought their collective experience to Northern Zululand — a symbolic and deeply immersive setting for laying down new roots.
An independent curator, editor, cultural producer and photography researcher, Claudi first brought his passion for teaching - and the pride of his South x South identity - to a masterclass Listening Images: The Power of Building Contemporary Narratives at #NEWF2025.
The full day session blinked the classroom of thirteen creatives (all fellows) through his research, community-led field work and the artistic practice that shaped Africamericanos, a powerful contemporary, unapologetic and deeply immersive storytelling project that produced a striking ode to the often forgotten, white-washed histories of Africa and the Americas.
Photographs by Cindy Bernical / #NEWF2025
But this merely started the conversation. Travelling to eKhaya meant having the opportunity to dive deeper (literally and figuratively) and explore more narrative potential than any 8 hour session is able to.
“This was my second time working with African storytellers; after [#NEWF2025 Fellows Summit] we were able to collaborate much more deeply at eKhaya. It was an incredible experience for the entire VIST team, and of course for me too.
One of the things that caught my attention the most was seeing how colonial processes have marked the models of representation in very similar ways in the global south and how there is currently a great capacity and need to question these models from all creative practices.
I believe it is essential to support strategies that question these imposed models and analyze, from local practices, new narrative formulas that can subvert the stereotypes generated over all these years.
Undoubtedly, the Power of Perspective lab allowed us to highlight that there
are many storytellers from across the African continent who are seeking to
build their own models of representation, unlearn concepts imported from outside, and analyze the meaning of their creative practices today.
For us, it was a true privilege to learn about the work of all the participants
and to try together to delve deeper into the feelings that the projects evoke.”
Adopting a similar approach to Listening Images, the artists were invited to take the role of observer and visual translator for their peers projects which invites a rare opportunity to gain honest perspective of how your work can live, breathe and be received in different ways; both from an intimate and contextualised audience and broader industry perspective.
Experimenting with sequencing by physically reordering and reimagining selects created an atmosphere of open exchange, intentional time, and the introspective power of choice — honing competitive industry skills and sharpening each of their artistic instincts.
Here feedback transformed from impersonal digital submissions and glitchy video conferencing, to conversation and community — criticism became curiosity, style and context; a holistic approach contextualising the relationship between art, artists and audiences in ways traditional residencies and a hyper-focus on technical rules simply can’t.
Programs designed in this way carve new pathways and frameworks to begin to unravel the barely veiled and deeply embedded culture of criticism and authoritative correction in the review and collaborative art world by showing what it looks like for creative and cultural exchange to shape futures and perspectives; documenting a new and integrated energy of confidence and collaboration.
Andrès discussing his work with the cohort.
“I have been working in Latin America for over 30 years, and I can assure
you that it was very exciting to see
the connections between some of
the processes unfolding on both continents.
I believe we have much work to do building new bridges that inspire artists to create from perspectives that inspire us and allow us to appreciate, without prejudice, the diversity of the world we share.
I believe we can create many new synergies to build together and
rethink the ways in which stories
have been told.”
By leaning on the experience, decoloniality and curiosity of mentors committed to advocacy and the resistance of memetic practice; the cohort was urged to connect the roots of community, with the possibilities of a future emboldened by agency, culture and innovation that will contribute towards archives, art, conservation and community.
Here feedback transforms from submissions through digital portals and glitchy video conferencing to conversations and community.
Criticism becomes curiosity, style and context is reimagined as cultural exchange that challenges technical perfection with the intention of rooting community and holistically contextualising the relationship between art, artists and audiences in ways traditional residencies simply can’t.
Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie warns of the danger of a single story.
The need for ethical inclusion, integration and originality is urgent since reviews and contests still reflect the diversity of storytellers best fit to tell stories close to home - at least not without incident and tokenisation. A professional stamp of approval and developmental tool that emergent, transitioning and under-resourced artists very rarely access or benefit from.
The stark reality opportunities to access portfolio reviews or be selected in a contest for a body of work or a collection of eponymous works are exclusive, limited and to whose gaze meets the product of yours.
So while representation is optically growing, investment-backed advocacy in the arts remains urgent and necessary to secure sustainable access and resources that shape impact, preservation and how society identifies, and is identified.
By refocusing and embracing our contemporary African gaze, Africa can be seen through the lens of agency, diversity and the exploration of futures and more truthful pasts transformed from mere philosophy and vision to practices of truth and preservation.
