Khartoum Contemporary Art Center: African art in Norway

CAIRO - 25 June 2017: Khartoum Contemporary Art Center (KCAC) in Norway is paving the way for Sudanese artists from across the globe to revive art culture in Africa and the Middle East by focusing on contemporary art and incorporating the use of new media.

The center is a nonprofit organization that was founded by Mohammed Fadlabi and Karin Erixon, who want to foster emerging artists from Africa and the Middle East, especially Sudan, to produce internationally-recognized quality art work. By allowing artists in Sudan get in touch with those around the world, KCAC will help encourage free thinking and allow artists to push cultural boundaries.

KCAC created a gateway for people to interact with artists. It is giving people the opportunity to research art history and techniques in this relatively unfamiliar art scene and shed light on African and Middle Eastern art. Their events include film screenings, workshops, exhibitions, live music and conferences.

Although the center focuses on Sudan, it welcomes artists and people from everywhere. KCAC serves as a representation of Khartoum, a city where both its African roots and Islamic Arabic cultures collide yet bridge the gap between Africans and Arabs.

In an interview with Sudanese Andariya Magazine, Fadlabi labeled the center as a “center in exile.” Before it found a home in Oslo, Norway, KCAC was supposed to be in Khartoum because the city meets the center’s vision and has always served as a meeting point of Africa and Middle East. However, Fadlabi does hope to move the center to Sudan in the future after guaranteeing no restrictions on the exhibited art work.