As part of this year’s British Pavilion public programme for the 60th edition of the Venice Biennale, Iniva (Institute of International Visual Arts, UK) presents Unseen Guests, a digital pavilion and a series of radical re-imaginings of nationhood, reflecting on the entanglement between land and water, movement and m/otherlands, in the forging of new identities and subjectivities. It is curated by Beatriz Lobo Britto and Renée Akitelek Mboya, and produced by Leanne Petersen.
The programme has been developed in response to Listening All Night To The Rain by artist and filmmaker John Akomfrah, British Pavilion artist 2024, and in partnership with the British Council visual arts team.
Iniva now has an open call for writing commissions as part of Unseen Guests, open to writers based in the UK and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The panel will select two writers – one writer based in the UK and one writer based in SSA.
The commissioned text can be submitted in the writer’s native language as long as the writer can also provide translation in English. Please note that iniva is only able to offer editorial support in English.
There is no prescribed writing style, whether it’s an academic essay, journalistic report, or employs creative structures, as long as it maintains accessible language and coherence. While there is no word stipulation, they anticipate a contribution around 1,000 words. Although the Digital Pavilion closes in November 2024, the writings will continue to be available through iniva’s archive, housed at the Stuart Hall Library.
The writers will receive a fee of 1,000 GBP each. Additionally, they will have the opportunity to go on a research trip to the 60th Venice Biennale in May 2024; travel, accommodation, and per diem will be covered.
