Palacios, Nwaegbe, Gundu Collaborative Exhibition Transforms Data Into Art

In their first collaborative project and exhibition, artists David Palacios, Obi Nwaegbe and Tersoo Gundu are translating numerical data into an art piece.

The exhibition which forms part of activities around the sixteen days against gender-based violence meshes Cuban artist Palacios data and infographics work, with the painting and photography skills and styles of Nwaegbe and Tersoo respectively.

An initiative of Palacios, the exhibition will highlight information on gender-based violence from different countries and continents including Nigeria, sourced from an international agency, to highlight GBV, where the world is, and how the situation can best be ameliorated.

“The whole idea of this is about activism and information presentation. People get to see what is going on in different parts of the world; women killed by their partners or lovers etc. to show people what the reality is. There is also data on things that happened in Nigeria which David used data to represent in addition to voice testimonials of GBV survivors,” said Gundu.

Transforming data into art does two things – first, to humanize the victims of GBV and to breakdown that data into images that people can connect to, by putting them into infographics, painting and photo, which are then merged into a layered collage art.

“Obi is going to paint the data on a stretched canvas. A quarter of the side of the canvas will feature a portrait of a Gele-wrapped woman, which is my (the photographer’s) prop that is worn by the model for a photoshoot I did, which I sent to David who then put together the images, then designed the infographics representing the data that was painted on the Gele.”

Visitors to the exhibition should expect separate sections of the exhibition showcasing Obi’s Gele painting, Tersoo’s photograph of the Gele adorned model, and finally the section where the infographics is layered with the paintings and photos.

Post the exhibition on the 25th, Palacios will host a workshop for artists and professionals experienced or involved in the GBV issues on November 26. The workshop will familiarize selected participants with Palacios work, who in turn will help them understand and practice the processes behind transforming data into art.

It is unclear yet if participants are to create works to be displayed at the exhibition. But it is certain of one thing, experienced participants selected for the workshop are likely to collaborate further with the artists.

“Having people with more experience will be much welcomed. And this is how a project gets expanded. It is not just David talking but also about those with experience sharing that as well,” said Gundu who urged applicants from diverse disciplines to apply.

“We requested peoples’ portfolio not artworks. A portfolio can be anything, it could be paintings or writings based on GBV. From your portfolio people can see your consistency by the number of blogs or things you have posted and can easily assess you on that. They can tell your depth, your evolution, your interest in the subject matter. So, if you are the right person for that type of conversation, when you come to the space, it is likely you will be working with them,” concluded Gundu.