Azawad Libre!, (Space), 2012, digital print on paper. | Photo courtesy of the artist.

Azawad Libre! New Media and Imagined Geographies in the Sahel is a collection of digital creations on display from August 11 to October 5 at Bob Prittie Library in Burnaby. The collection presents images of fantastical identities and new geographies produced on the cellphones and computers of young people throughout the Sahel region of Africa.

“The collection of images reveals a lot about what is happening for these youth – their dreams and struggles, as well as their interest in global politics and pop culture,” says Jennifer Cane, assistant curator of the Burnaby Art Gallery. The exhibition is curated by Christopher Kirkley, the Portland-based founder of MP3 blog and record label Sahel Sounds.

Canefirst encountered Kirkley’s work when she was given a recording of Music from Saharan Cellphones from his record label. While visiting Portland, she was introduced to Kirkley through a mutual friend and later had the opportunity to view the works submitted by youth to the Sahel digital art project.

“Thinking of the strong West African communities we have here in Burnaby, I decided it would be great to host these works in a Burnaby library,” Cane says.

Building new borders and new bodies

Azawad Libre! is a collection of unique digital images that a North American audience might have been unlikely to encounter otherwise. The images, which Kirkley collected through the internet and locally in the Sahel area, have been created through PC-based templates, automated web-based collage and built-in cell phone photo manipulation.

The artworks illustrate an array of imagined realities that reflect social, economic and geographic tensions, as well as aspirations. Some of the works depict new borders that recognize a Tuareg territory in Northern Mali and celebrate the state of Azawad; others depict personal ambitions of wealth and prosperity. Several of the youth represent themselves as superheroes, fantastical characters or in futuristic settings.

Kirkley points out that a lot of techniques used in their designs – lens flares, bevels, digital interference and pixilation – recall ‘bad’ Western Photoshop.

“But these aspects are actually the basis of the design here, and can be used to create these beautifully inspired pieces,” says Kirkley.

According to Kirkley, identity is altered and re-imagined into new forms, expressing hopes and fantasies in hyper realistic manifestations. Works like ‘Miss Cybourg,’ where the image of a young woman has been altered to include robotic body parts, illustrate a digital reconstruction of the physical body and, in turn, a construction of a new self who is perhaps exceptionally strong or even invincible.

Images of a collective vision

Azawad Libre! presents a fascinating intersection of computer technology, youth culture,and folk art. For Kirkley, the exhibitionis an examination of the rich digital content that flows through the networks of Sahel, circulating through Facebook, Cyber Cafes, and cellphones.

“The images have a power inherent to them, whether they are outright political or visionary,” says Kirkley. “In the case of the political state of Azawad, it’s allowed the free flow of propaganda to reflect the collective vision, but also to solidify it.”

Kirkley feels that the digital age allows for re-creation and re-interpretation. The presence of computer and cell phone technologies enables new methods of producing and sharing thatpromotea kind of creative freedom that did not exist before the widespread availability of the internet and social media like YouTube and Facebook.

“I find this stuff really inspiring. The images are such a departure from the unconscious trends in visual art in the West and they offer some new ideas,” he says.“I suppose they’re also quite different from what a lot of Westerners associate with West African art, which is great because there’s so much more out there.”

To view more images from this series, please visit www.sahel-digital-art.org

Check out Kirkley’s record label and blog at www.sahelsounds.com