Rituals of Care
Jelili Atiku: The Night Has Ears
With his performance The Night Has Ears artist Jelili Atiku addresses charged memories of violence still held in the building of the Gropius Bau and its surroundings. The work consists of a public procession and healing ritual, with the participation of 61 volunteers.
Jelili Atiku, Egungun Alabala Mandela (Oginrinringinrin I). University of Texas at Austin, USA, 11 April 2014
Photo: Hakeem Adewumi
Past Dates
- Saturday, 18 January 2020
- Briefing for participants 10:00
- 12:00—15:00
- Gropius Bau, Atrium (Ground floor)
- Free admission
Jelili Atiku works with three Olosha priestesses from Nigeria and guides a group of 61 participants to interact with and carry small wooden sculptures created for the event, while wearing specifically designed costumes. Beginning in the atrium of the Gropius Bau, the performance proceeds with Wiwe (sacred bathing) of the wooden sculptures and continues outside in the adjacent streets before returning to the exhibition hall. The procession addresses charged memories of violence still held in the building and its surroundings. A ritual moves participants through a series of simple actions with the sculptures as a form of community healing.
Saturday, 18.1. 20, 10:00
Atrium, Gropius Bau
Briefing by Jelili Atiku
Saturday, 18.1. 20, 12:00–15:00
Performance
Jelili Atiku is a Nigerian multimedia artist whose practice addresses issues of human rights and social justice. His work has been presented internationally, including at the 5th Marrakech Biennale, the 57th Venice Biennale and the Manifesta 12 in Palermo.
Performance:
Jelili Atiku with
Taiwo Agbede Babatunde Osun priestess,
Kafilat Ajoke Dada Obaluwaye priestess,
Biliki Asake Adeyemi Obatala priestess
and 61 participants