Ayo is a Ugandan born artist, filmmaker, and researcher currently based in the Netherlands. Ayo's artistic practice enlivens unofficial and official archives, recognizing the incompleteness of knowledge that is withheld from the subjective body. With this engagement of the body as an archive, Ayo studies oral records, intangible forms of cultural heritage, and craft practices, among other sources, to build new narratives shape-shifting from sculpture, film, and performance.
Residency
2022: Amant Foundation, New York
2021: Triangle-Asterides, Marseilles, France
Education
2018-2020: MA Fine Art (Cum Laude) Piet Zwart Institute, Willem de Kooning Academy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
2016-2017: BA Fine Art (Honour's Program) Propedeuse, ArtEZ Institute of the Arts, Arnhem, The Netherlands
2008-2012: BBA, International School of Business & École Supérieure de Commerce, Montpellier, France
Selected Exhibitions & * Film Screening
2023
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That which chases away sorrow, two-person presentation with Kitty Maria, Singular Art Gallery, Art Rotterdam, NL
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Prospects, Art Rotterdam, NL
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When things are beings, Municipal Art Acquisitions, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, NL
2022
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*An Invitation for liveness, Amant, New York, U.S.A
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When things are beings, Municipal Art Acquisitions, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, NL
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A Door Ajar, Singing, Shimmer, Rotterdam, NL
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Singing off Key, Singular Art Gallery, Nijmegen (Solo)
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Unfair22 Amsterdam, NL (Solo)
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Heks, Artphy, Groningen, NL
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*Rencontres Internationales Paris, FR & Berlin, GR
2021
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*25th Afrika Film festival, Leuven, BE
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Ateliers Portes Ouvertes, Triangle-Asterides, Marseilles, FR
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Material Context, Het Archief, Rotterdam, NL, curated by Nathalie Haartjes & Danny Giles.
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*Tent Online Cinema, Tent Rotterdam, NL
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On Display, Print& Play Group Exhibition, curated by Marieke van den Belt & Thieu Custers
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*Possessed, European Media Art Festival, Osnabrück, GR
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Unbound Anthologies, a two-person exhibition with Katrina Niebergal, Available and the Rat, Rotterdam
2020
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Print and Play group exhibition, curated by Marieke van den Belt and Thieu Custers, Boijmans Hillevliet, Rotterdam, NL
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*A house of Many Parts, curated by Lucas Morin, Goethe Institute, Bangkok, Thailand
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Modern Day Griots and Tapped Train Conversations, a two-person exhibition with Kateřina Gabriel Konarovská), Expoplu Experiment, Curated by Fenne Saedt, Post, NL
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Daybed (Solo) Weelde, curated by KONTRA Rotterdam, NL
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Melkweg Expo & Nest Call for Graduates exhibition, The Hague & Amsterdam, NL
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* We are Living Monuments, 66th International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, GR
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Open Studios, Piet Zwart Institute, Rotterdam, NL
2019
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*Pulp Puppets, Focal Point Gallery, Twenty-one Southend-on-sea, UK
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Your Voice Matters, Museum Arnhem at De Kerk, group show curated by Mirjam Westen, Arnhem, NL
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*Ba-dum-pssh, The Burden of Representation and Affect, LocatieZ, Den Haag, NL
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Open Studios, Piet Zwart Institute, Rotterdam, NL
2018
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Off the record, Kampala Public Art curated by 32 Degrees East/Ugandan Arts Trust, Kampala, UG
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The Gathering, Participatory event, Entebbe, UG
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How art thou? Cultuur op Campus, Radboud University, Nijmegen, NL
2017
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Lok Kede Kom A, Performance, Patty Morgan X Torch Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
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Rebirth, De Vasim, Nijmegen,NL
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Myel Ba Performance, Art gallery Het Klooster, Tiel, NL
Grants + Awards
2022
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Amarte Fonds
2021
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Guido Huysmans Young African Film Maker Award (Nominee)
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Mondriaan Stipend for Emerging Artists (Werkbijdrage Jong Talent)
2020
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Willem De Kooning Master Research Award
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Putsebocht Award
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African Culture Fund
2019
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Stichting Vivace project grant
2018
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KLA Public Art Commission
2016 - 2017
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ArtEZ Academic Merit scholarship
Artist Talk
2023
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De onzichtbare stad, Operator radio X CBK Rotterdam
2021
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Tip Off#5, Melkweg Expo, Amsterdam
2019
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The body as ground for belonging, Studium generale ArtEZ & Honour's program, Zwolle
2018
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Legacy: An Artist and literary Panel discussion organized byWritivism in collaboration with KLA ART, the Square, Kampala.
Bibliography
2022
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Art Viewer, Ayo and Melvin Moti at Shimmer
2021
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Material Context review, Metropolis Mag
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Don't touch, Artist publication
2020
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Frames of Loss and Memory, An Interview with Christine Ayo. Art for social justice, Tijschrijft Kunstlicht
2019
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Speaking with Others - An Interview with Pussy Riot, APRIA digital publication, ArtEZ.
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Twaalf Vrouwen Een Stem, Gelderlander
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Alle Vrouwen Een Stem, Nieuwe Veluwe
2018
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Voicing Entebbe Artbook
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Art Monthly UK, November issue
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Studium Generale ArtEZ podcast contributor about diversity in art practices and institutions.