Villa Albertine | Tracing the Soul’s Geography: Memory, Resistance, and the Afro-Diasporic Image

On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of Villa Albertine’s residency program, Villa Albertine Atlanta partners with Atlanta Contemporary to present a conversation between current French residents Alexis Peskine and Armelle Tulunda, Atlanta-based artist Shanequa Gay, and former Senegalese Villa Albertine resident Ngima Sarr, aka T.I.E. Moderated by curator Clarke Brown, the panel, followed by a Q&A, will explore the intersections of Afrodiasporic memory, visual languages, and contemporary cultural expression.

How do the echoes of the past shape the visual forms of the future? This panel brings together four visionary artists to explore the profound connections between artistic practice and the African Diaspora. Set against the historical and spiritual backdrop of Georgia, this dialogue delves into the roles of memory, resistance, and representation in contemporary visual art.

By weaving together Peskine’s global Afro-descendant lens, Tulunda’s ancestral Congolese inquiries, Gay’s deep-rooted Georgia mythologies, and T.I.E performative protocol of healing, this panel seeks to uncover how art acts as a vessel for both spiritual preservation and political defiance. Together, the artists will reflect on how they “trace the marks” of those who came before to build immersive environments where identity, culture, and belonging can be reimagined.