In a performance of coming together, Jane Lombard Fellow Emeka Okereke gathers members and collaborators of the Invisible Borders Trans-African Photographers Organization, an artist-led initiative that challenges the perception of borders within the 54 countries of Africa. Virtual workshops and conversations, as well as an in-person screening at UnionDocs, reflect on notions and spaces of encounter, the poetics of relation, and the protocols necessary to translate these concepts into artistic practice.

Session 1: 10 am EDT/ 4pm CEST
The Journey is the Destination: Invisible Borders and Open Roads, Online
Connecting the origins of the Invisible Borders project to the Nigerian photography collective, Depth of Field, this gathering hosted by Uche James Iroha, Emeka Okereke, and Zaynab Odunsi serves as a premise to historicize the project and its legacy.
Uche James Iroha
Emeka Okereke
Zaynab Odunsi

Borders as Blank Pages: Writings on Borders through the Trans-African Project, Online
Led by Kay Ugwuede and Tope Adegoke, this session reflects on the role of writing within the Invisible Borders project and the possibilities it has opened up.
Tope Adegoke
Kay Ugwuede

Session 2: 12 pm EDT / 6pm CEST / 9:30 pm IST
Let’s Try On New Clothes: Invisible Borders and the Trans-Bangladeshi Road Trip, Online
Nigerian and Bangladeshi participants reflect on the nature and specificity of the Trans-Bangladeshi Road Trip. Exploring the notion and space of “encounter,” this exchange considers the process by which the subjective and collective are negotiated.
Sadia Marium
Emeka Okereke
Kay Ugwuede

On the “Here and Elsewhere”: Nzukota and Hyphenates Projects, Online
Discussing the poetics of relation within their collaboration, which has taken the form of two projects, Emeka Okereke hosts a performative conversation with anthropologist Mathangi Krishnamurthy and researcher Reem Alfahad.
Reem Alfahad
Mathangi Krishnamurthy
Emeka Okereke

Session 3: 2 pm  EDT/ 8 pm CEST / 11:30 IST
If I Can’t Be an Island, Let Me Be a Cactus: On Crossings, From Desert to Water to Land, Online
Yemoh Odoi, of Minority Globe Initiative, spent years traversing the desert from West to North Africa. Joined by two Invisible Borders participants, Emeka Okereke and Tom Saater, who traversed the same borders, they intersect experiences while looking at methodologies employed by the Invisible Borders project for the translation of concepts into artistic practice.
Emeka Okereke
Tom Saater
Yemoh Odoi

Coming Together, A Screening and Conversation at UnionDocs 6:30 pm EDT/ 12:30 CEST
Reflecting on the day’s proceedings and joining in from various locations and time zones, both in person at UnionDocs, James Uche Iroha, and virtually, Emeka Okereke and Kay Ugwuede, screen Invisible Borders films and enact the performance of coming together, especially at this moment in time during a global pandemic.
Uche James Iroha
Emeka Okereke
Kay Ugwuede

This event is presented in partnership with UnionDocs. Capacity is limited to 40 people: first come, first served. If you are unable to attend in person, you can also livestream this event on UnionDoc’s Twitch page.

In order to attend, you will need to show proof of vaccination: the physical card, a photo of the card or an approved app. We recommend using Excelsior Pass or NYC Covid Safe and encourage you to download either of these apps to your phone, and record your vaccination, in advance of arriving.

This event is part of the Vera List Center Forum 2021, please click here for more information.

6:30 pm EDT/ 12:30 CEST
Coming Together, A Screening and Conversation at UnionDocs
Reflecting on the day’s proceedings and joining in from various locations and time zones, both in person at UnionDocs, James Uche Iroha, and virtually, Emeka Okereke and Kay Ugwuede, screen Invisible Borders films and enact the performance of coming together, especially at this moment in time during a global pandemic.
Uche James Iroha
Emeka Okereke
Kay Ugwuede

This event is presented in partnership with UnionDocs. Capacity is limited to 40 people: first come, first served. If you are unable to attend in person, you can also livestream this event on UnionDoc’s Twitch page.

In order to attend, you will need to show proof of vaccination: the physical card, a photo of the card or an approved app. We recommend using Excelsior Pass or NYC Covid Safe and encourage you to download either of these apps to your phone, and record your vaccination, in advance of arriving.

This event is part of the Vera List Center Forum 2021, please click here for more information.