Antenna brings together artists affected by racism from various backgrounds from Switzerland, who have worked with MigrArt in different ways or are a part of our broader network of BIPoC artists. The idea is to create a space for these artists to come together in a series of process driven exploratory gatherings that seek to assess and pinpoint the shared needs of this artistic community. This community is made up of individuals of different backgrounds, disciplines, nationalities, genders, levels of education and financial security. At times these aspects intersect and other times not at all. However, in the context of Switzerland, there is a need for artists affected by racism to have structures (formal or informal) that support their artistic, communal and career needs. Instead of prescribing what these artists might need, Antenna creates the opportunity for artists to come together to share, explore and ideate around what kind of support or structure/s the community needs.
Our primary objective is to celebrate the diverse community of artists by offering a platform where individual BIPoC with different identities can come together. The aim of Antenna is to create a vibrant and welcoming space that fosters novel ideation amongst BIPoC artists. Antenna will work as a space that will enable the artists to explore their individual and communal needs and desires, artistically and autonomously. By creating a safer space for these artists to explore and process their needs, these artists will not only showcase their artistic talents but also share their stories and ideas with the vision of having communal impact. By allowing these artists to creatively share and identify their own needs, we hope to establish a self-determined sustainable foundation or structure for artists experiencing racism, that allows them to connect, collaborate and create.
Twenty artists from Zurich and ten artists from the rest of Switzerland who have been involved in projects co-created by MigArt will participate in Antenna. There will be 7 gatherings in total over 7 months at the SAE Greenhouse LAB at ETH. Each gathering is created by a group of 5 artists, each exploring the complicity of collaborative practices. Every gathering is conceived as a shared experience centered around the act of food preparation within a specific group—a practice that embodies care. These groups will utilize various formats, including lectures, performances, group discussions, multimedia presentations, and audiovisual works, to engage with pertinent themes arising from the group. Every gathering is documented and will become part of the Antenna archive.