Grada Kilomba: A World of Illusions

Norval Foundation presents an immersive installation A World of Illusions: Grada Kilomba in Gallery 1 at Norval Foundation which opens on 8 September 2022 and runs to 9 January 2023. Using performance, music and dynamic scenography, Kilomba creates extraordinary poetic images to explore questions of race, gender and identity.

Following earlier installations at the 32nd Sao Paolo Biennale, the 10th Berlin Biennale, and the Palais de Tokyo in 2021, this will be the first time A World of Illusions (2017—2019) is shown on the African continent. This installation is curated by Marie-Ann Yemsi, Independent exhibition curator and contemporary art consultant.

With her trilogy, A World of Illusions, Grada Kilomba radically reinterprets ancient Greek myths that are usually presented to us as being universal, and delivers new, subversive narratives. She stages the characters of Narcissus and Echo, Oedipus and Antigone, combining performance, theatre, choreography and music, giving body, voice and form to her own critical writing. Drawing inspiration from oral African traditions, the artist takes on the role of a contemporary Griot, a storyteller who lets the classic tales speak directly to the current political issues.

Artwork credits:
Wrien, Directed, and Edited | Grada Kilomba
Production | Moses Leo
Music Composition | Neo Muyanga
Actors, Dancers and Performers:
Echo | Martha Fessehatzion
Narcissus | Moses Leo
Narcissus Love | Zé de Paiva
Nymph and Storyteller | Grada Kilomba
Director of Photography | Zé de Paiva
Camera Assistance | Laura Alonso and Tito Casal Costume Design | Moses Leo
Sound Engineering | Gabriel do Val

Exhibition Credits:
Guest Curator: Marie-Ann Yemsi

norvalfoundation.org