DJing for the opening of Ken Aicha Sy. Survival Kit @ ifa-galerie Berlin

The intimate relationship between a family archive and the collective dimension of a shared heritage: The history of contemporary Senegalese painting from 1960-1990.

From June 20, the new exhibition at the ifa Gallery Berlin presents for the first time in Germany the central results of the five-year research and investigation project "Survival Kit" by curator and cultural activist Ken Aïcha Sy on the key moments in contemporary Senegalese painting between 1960 and 1990, on memory, restitution, and the transmission of Senegalese artistic heritage post-independence.  The second part of the exhibition project will be shown at the ifa Gallery Stuttgart from October.

Ken Aïcha Sy— researcher, curator and cultural activist, daughter of journalist Anne Jean Bart and artist El Hadji Sy— draws on a personal family archive to examine important artistic and cultural initiatives that have significantly shaped Senegalese art between 1960-1990, activating dialogues around African archives and the mostly European institutions that house them.

Aminata Bouaré is a multifaceted practitioner: sometimes a vinyl selector, other times a writer, though most often a narrative tactician striving to reclaim ground, amplify erased stories, and cultivate joy and hope for the collective. Whether at community gatherings, in civil society organizing, or behind the decks, she cherishes moments to come together, connect, dream, and nurture care.

Rooted in Bamako, raised in Paris, and stranded in Berlin, her musical curation reflects a heritage of migration across contexts, blending genres, eras, and continents while holding space for political reality, memory, and radical joy.

As part of the Berlin-based DJ collective Collectif Wokloni, her sound selections include Afro-diasporic protest music, Chicago house, as well as West African traditional and electronic genres, creating cheerful havens to celebrate liberation, self-determination, and solidarity through rhythm and movement. Beyond her sonic ventures, she collaborates with nonprofits and grassroots movements to build and advance narratives for justice and belonging across Europe.

Insta: amisamuse

For Holger Lund see here.

More information: https://www.ifa.de/en/exhibition/ken-aicha-sy-survival-kit-exhibition-opening/