Coming back to Guabuliga allowed the group to share the work that had been developed with the village between February and September. The work was exhibited in an empty shop located in the village center. The one-room building and the empty space in front of it was re-envisioned as an exhibition and event space with the aim of starting a dialogue with the community.
The Guabuliga Gallery existed for one week and had a different thematic focus each day. The themes included: the Guabuliga village growth plan, the water situation, and the narrative mappings that were presented in a variety of formats. Drawings of 50 children of Guabuliga - the outcome of a water and sanitation workshop initiated by Theresa Theuretzbacher - filled the walls of the room. Each day, preparations were made in the morning and the Gallery opened in the afternoon, as the people who were coming back from their farms and the village became animated.
During this week, the space in front of the Guabuliga Gallery became a center for people to socialize. Each evening had a different character, as the Gallery transformed throughout the week. A film screening, curated by artist Bernard Akoi-Jackson, gathered a crowd around the porch of the Gallery. A presentation on Guabuliga’s water situation accompanied the children’s drawing exhibition, and to change focus, the [a]FA group hosted an Austrian-themed evening, presenting food and photos of their home. To close, the Gallery [a]FA hosted a party by providing music and food sourced in the village.
Through the Guabuliga Gallery, [a]FA engaged with a much larger portion of the village than it had through the more specialized collaborations with individuals or groups such as the village chief and his council of elders. While it was a chance to communicate ideas to the whole village, it also provided a format to engage with people outside of the growth plan- and greenbelt project.
CURATOR
Juergen Strohmayer
CO-CURATOR
Baerbel Mueller
