The Octopus Programme

Austria

In partnership with 10 international institutions from seven countries, SAHA participated in the Octopus Programme, which lasted until the summer of 2022. SAHA Studio artists BengüKaraduman and Eser Epözdemir were amongst the participating artists whereas SAHA’s director Çelenk Bafra acted both as one of the curators and lecturers of the Octopus Programme, led by curator and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Başak Şenova, visiting professor at the University of Applied Arts, Vienna.

The first part of the program was conceived as a two-semester course titled "Spectral Encounters", which was piloted at both the University of Applied Arts in Vienna and the Kamel Lazaar Foundation B7L9 in Tunisia. Following the completion of the preliminary phase of the course in February 2021, Kamel Lazaar hosted an experimental and performative three-day exhibition. The second part, which lasted 10 weeks from the first week of April 2021 to the last week of June 2021, brought participants together through a series of events in South Africa. The program concluded with the exhibition "the Octopus", which presented the accumulated research and process-based work of its participants, associated actors and the curated archiveat Angewandte Interdisciplinary Lab in Vienna on June 2-17.

The participants of the program:
The Octopus (June 2–17, 2022, Angewandte Interdisciplinary Lab) presents Alina Rentsch (Germany/Sweden), Bengü Karaduman (Turkey), Bochra Taboubi (Tunisia), Conny Zenk (Austria), Els Van Houtert (Netherlands/Austria), Eser Epözdemir (Turkey), Férielle Doulain (France/Tunisia), Julia Stern (Austria), Kim M. Reynolds (US/South Africa), Maarit Mustonen (Finland), Nondumiso Lwazi Msimanga (South Africa), Noor Abed (Palestine), Sofia Priftis (Sweden), Sophia Bellouhassi (Germany/Austria), Verena Miedl-Faißt (Germany/Austria), Younes Ben Slimane (Tunisia/France) with special guests: Bronwyn Lace (South Africa/Austria), Ebru Kurbak (Turkey/Austria), Egle Oddo (Italy/Finland), Johan Thom (South Africa), Jyoti Mystry (South Africa/Sweden), Hristina Ivanoska (Macedonia/Germany), Larissa Sansour (Palestine/UK), Lisl Ponger (Austria), Marcus Neustetter (South Africa/Austria), Publics (Finland), William Kentridge (South Africa), Yane Calovski (Macedonia/Germany), The Zone, and associated actors: Cristiana De Marchi (Italy/Lebanon/United Arab Emirates), Cazlynne Peffer (South Africa), Dylan Graham (South Africa), Indalo Bennet (South Africa), Nirual Kenabru (Austria), Nisrine Boukhari (Syria/Austria), Teboho Lebakeng (South Africa), Zhou Yuqi (China), opening performance by Gischt & Conny Zenk (Austria) and Misonica (Germany/Austria) also guided tours by Barbara Putz-Plecko (Austria); by Anderwald+Grond (Austria) and by Johannes Jäger (Switzerland/Austria).

About Octopus Program
The program intends to bridge and acknowledge social and cultural diversity in the targeted geographical regions—Europe, the Mediterranean, and Africa—and values the ambiguity between or among: socio-political realities and perspectives; interdisciplinary approaches; academic and non-academic intellectual models; forms of artistic research and practices; divergent perspectives on artistic production methodologies; individual and community-based approaches; top-down and grass-root organisation models; accessed and distributed resources and facilities; strategies of environmental sustainability; artistic challenges and opportunities; different funding possibilities; institutional and alternative curatorial practices; forms of engagement of artists, audiences and institutions; forms of innovative and technology-driven mindsets; and diverse knowledge production models.

the Octopus is accompanied by a three-day public programme—June 2–3 and June 5—at Tonkino Saalbau (Flachgasse 25, 1150 Vienna) by the exhibition's artists and other contributors including Isa Rosenberger (Austria), Larissa Sansour (Palestine), Lisl Ponger (Austria), Mohamad Bazzi (Lebanon/Sweden), Nikolaus Gansterer (Austria), Paul Krimmer (Austria), Ramesh Daha (Austria), Renad Shqeirat (Palestine), Renger Van Den Heuvel (The Netherlands/Austria), Yasser Jridi (Tunisia), and Zeyneb Raissi (Tunisia).