Form Femine Art: Panning the spotlight on Nigerian artist Tammy Sinclair

For what Africa lacks in development, it has an abundance of in culture and tradition. A continent endowed with immense natural and human resources as well as great cultural diversity rich in arts & crafts including sculptures, paintings and a host of others.  

The uprising of the African creative across the globe speaks to the resilience of the people and an eagerness for expression and narrative ownership. 

Like in all human culture, African art also represents a variety of social constructs on the continent and influences from beyond. 
The artist gives an insight on what influences his creative and thought process. “I am of the school of thought that the strength of a society is dependent on how they treat their women. A woman's importance in the human experience cannot be overstated. Women are the most beautiful yet complex creatures. They can be hot and cold, hard and soft at the same time. They can be black and white and red and pink and green. There is no one word that describes a woman. For me women represent infinite potential.”

Tammy’s current style was birthed by curiosity and an experimentation of two of his favourite artistic practices: sculpting and drawing. The discovery of string art as a medium gave the artist a way to merge both artistic techniques. 

On what inspires his art, Tammy says “The inspiration for my art is the ‘never say die’ attitude and the African spirit. Despite years of victimization and discriminating, Africa and Africans have always played a key role in the human experience. Not only being the birth place of civilization, but Africa has contributed enormously to the cultures of the world.”

Engaging in art experimentation from an early age,  Tammy Sinclair always had the drive to create art while exploring topics of racism and identity, rewriting the black narrative and highlighting the need for unity.  
In his words “The fragility of a single thread points at our weakness when we chose to stand alone. The layering of thread on thread almost seems to wax an impenetrable fortress which points at our strength if we all stand together.”

In PERE, artist Tammy Sinclair creates intriguing art, intricately woven and assembled with string art; visually depicting unapologetic Feminine Royalty that dramatizes aspects of the African culture on subjects of power and authority.

Venturing into the art goes beyond aesthetics and self expression for the artist. Tammy Sinclair attributes the central feminine thematics of his art to the personal relationship with the women in his life, “From my mum to my five sisters and my wife. The women in my life have played a major role in shaping my character and defining who I am today.”

Beyond seizing the opportunity to exhibit his works, Tammy Sinclair illuminates the compelling component for sending in entries for Collect Call // Diaspora Dial. “It was about women and women are the central theme in my works”.

The Artist speaks more on working with Forme Femine Art. “It’s great to see an organization that is dedicated to shedding light on an under appreciated yet undeniably important part of our society through art. Encouraging artists to create works that show the majesty, beauty, character, strife, strength and struggles of the woman in modern society. Lending their voice to this most important of issues and paving a way for better tomorrow.”

Forme Femine Art serves as a catalyst for artists outside the Western art ecosystem. The African-Germany based social-driven art enterprise now digitally exhibits group shows on African Femininity.

The Virtual Art Exhibition is free to join. Journalists are invited to a private viewing with the selected artists. Tickets can be issued on 1st December 2020 at formefemine.com/virtual-exhibition.


Weaving Afro-Feminine Identity through Strings of Art and Media

"Growing intolerance and attacks on people’s fundamental rights continue to erode the considerable progress achieved over the years, finds FRA’s Fundamental Rights Report 2020. As Europe begins to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic we see a worsening of existing inequalities and threats to societal cohesion." 
Source: FRA European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights

Dana Federman is the founder of Yoga Hub Berlin, the German capital’s yoga initiative that comes with a strong agenda on inclusiveness.

In 2018 the first studio opened its doors to create an environment of actively letting people of different cultures and backgrounds in, and making them feel welcome. Together, they practice yoga and pilates with international teachers in English, French and other languages, at affordable prices. Tea is being served before and after the sessions on carpets with seat cushions, inviting to get involved in a chat in a quiet and peaceful surrounding.

Yoga Hub Berlin has a different approach than yoga as a lifestyle trend. For Dana, yoga is all about being social in person. Part of the initiative includes offering free classes and teacher training courses to refugees and other underrepresented groups. The new, second studio is extended by a quiet co-working space with a nursery, bringing mums back to business at their own pace. She aims to create a home with her studios.

Dana is following an intrinsic endeavour to overcome fear and hatred, and to support one another. Born and bred in Israel, an upbringing in the Middle East teaches you about tension, she says. After the mandatory military service in Israel, she started travelling, and eventually moved to Berlin in 2015, where she now lives with her husband and daughter, who was born in the year of her first studio opening – An experience that taught her the challenges of handling a baby and work at the same time first hand. Maybe even more so as a mother, the currently rapidly increasing hate and racism tendencies all over the world worry her. Coming from Israel to Berlin enabled her for the first time to work very closely with people from other countries in the Middle East, and to get to know them on a deeper and more personal level. “I enjoyed working with them; we've had many similar interests and we've had such a positive experience so I wanted, as an Israeli, to meet more people from the Middle East, and I want to have more personal interaction with people from different backgrounds in general”, she says.

When her mum sadly passed away from a long battle of cancer in 2017, and following that, experiencing some family related conflicts which created a lot of negative energies and stress in her life she wanted to create in her life more positivity in some way. Dana practices yoga for 20 years, and especially in these times it helped her to have her heart open and let go of worries, and so she decided to create a space where people could free themselves from any negativity in their lives and through yoga and meditation practice and with a supportive atmosphere they could overcome any challenge. Eventually, she founded the first Yoga Hub Berlin studio, with a warm and inviting atmosphere where international people come together and meet on a regular basis. The yoga courses focus on the classic yoga only, such as the traditional Hatha, where the focus is on the body & mind work, that includes a lot of meditation. It helps to be more relaxed, and open minded. Her team at Yoga Hub Berlin follows the same vision of opening up, and the yoga teachers stay around before and after their courses for an open ear, and thus the community development.

Get to know Dana, her team and the community of Yoga Hub Berlin on the occasion of the 2nd Studio Opening Week, including 7 days of free yoga classes and coworking.

Learn more at https://www.yogahubberlin.com/

Yoga Hub Berlin - hosting a vibrant, diverse & multi-cultural community

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WALHALLA II ist das Preenactment eines Denkmals. Ein Ort, der durch die Tendenzen der Gegenwart denkbar geworden ist - die spekulative Archäologie und Aufarbeitung einer möglichen Epoche. „Der Versuch, die Zukunft Europas und vor allem Deutschlands langsam und behutsam zu ruinieren.“ Zwischen September und Oktober 2018 werden im öffentlichen Stadtraum von Hamburg und Berlin archäologische Ausgrabungen durchgeführt, um Dokumente, Reste, Ruinenteile und Beweismittel eines zukünftigen WALHALLA II Denkmals zu bergen. Diese Artefakte einer spekulativen Zukunft werden im Rahmen zweier Sonderausstellungen der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich gemacht. Für zwei Wochen präsentiert das DOKUMENTATIONSZENTRUM ZUKUNFT die spektakulären Funde in Hamburg und Berlin. THE FUTURE WAS MIGHT BE CONFUSING. Das Dokumentationszentrum sieht sich als institutionalisierte Kassandra, jene von Apollon verfluchte Weissagerin, der niemand Glauben schenken wollte, weil es bequemer ist, sich in einer diffusen Angst vor der Zukunft einzurichten, als sich mit der Warnung vor dem auseinanderzusetzen, was bereits beginnt am politischen Horizont der Gegenwart sichtbar zu werden. Die Sonderausstellungen versprechen Aufarbeitung des Kommenden, Einfühlung in das Mögliche, und kritische Reflexion auf eine Epoche, die auf viele noch wartet, einige herbei sehnen und andere zerstören werden. Wie verantwortlich ist Ästhetik und wie machtvoll das Dokument, die Zeugen und die Phantasie? Bei Walhalla II geht es um die Frage, ob eine spekulative Archäologie in der Lage ist in ein störendes Verhältnis zur Wirklichkeit zu treten. Das Dokumentationszentrum reagiert damit auf eine politische Praxis, die ständig neue, auf Fiktionen beruhende Echokammern generiert.

Non-Stop-Grabung Hamburg (Domplatz): 13.09. bis 16.09. 2018
Ausstellung WALHALLA II - Hamburg
(Dokumentationszentrum Zukunft, Sootbörn 22, 22453 Hamburg): 21.09. bis 30.09. 2018

Non-Stop-Grabung Berlin (Am Molkenmarkt): 4. bis 7. Oktober 2018
Ausstellung WALHALLA II - Berlin
(Dokumentationszentrum Zukunft, Alte Münze Berlin, Am Molkenmarkt 2, 10179 Berlin): 11.10. bis 21.10. 2018

Konzeption, Archäologie, Planung, Architektur und Kuration: Peter Behrbohm, Josephine Hans, Anselm Schenkluhn, Bastian Sistig, Kolja Vennewald Text und Dokument: Holger Fröhlich, Julia Lauter, Philipp Röding Bildrecherche, Dokumentation, Archiv und Expedition: Jonas Fischer, Philipp Meuser Tonfragmente: burgund t brandt Artefakte: Lena Marie Emrich, Samantha Bohatsch, Karoline Schneider, Øystein Aasan, Marie Köhler, Zuza Golinska, Gregor Rozanski Grabungteam: Daniel Degeest, Alyssa Marie Warncke, Josema Enriquez, Sarah Besch, Andrea Krohn, David Gómez, Klara Oehler u.a. Vermittlung: Janine Meißner Produktionsleitung: Friederike Schneider Beratung: Maria Kusche Technische Leitung: Florian Fink Technische Mitarbeit: Walter Habrich Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit: Melanie Marten

Eine Produktion von PARA Inc und dem Dokumentationszentrum Zukunft.
Das Projekt wird gefördert vom Hauptstadtkulturfonds, aus Mitteln der Bundesbeauftragten für Kultur und Medien, Monika Grütters, der Hamburgischen Kulturstiftung und der Kulturbehörde Hamburg. In Kooperation mit dem Künstlerhaus Sootbörn Hamburg, der Alten Münze Berlin und dem 2OG - contemporary opportunities. Mit freundlicher Unterstützung des Archäologischen Museums Hamburg, des Landesdenkmalamtes Berlin und dem Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin. Ein Beitrag zum Europäischen Kulturerbejahr 2018.

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