Open Wednesdays-Saturdays, 1-4pm*
Free and open to all
A joint exhibition with Rachel Rea as part of our New Creatives programme.
*Please note, the gallery will be closed between Friday 29th March and and Saturday 6th April inclusive, and on Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th May.
About the Exhibition
Afe Bi Yε Esan: 'The Year of Great Misfortune', an immersive multi-sensory installation by the visionary artist and lived experience storyteller Adelle A'asante. This groundbreaking exhibition transcends traditional art boundaries, inviting participants to delve deep into the heart of cocoa farming communities in Ghana. Through a fusion of sacred oral storytelling and innovative installation art, A'asante masterfully intertwines the lived experiences of cocoa farmers with the ever-changing climate they navigate.
Each element of Afe Bi Yε Esan is meticulously crafted to transport visitors into the fabric of cocoa farming life. From the cocoa sacks, bearing traceability numbers connecting to specific villages, to the remnants of traditional Batakari fabrics, every detail serves to illuminate the dreams, hopes, and aspirations of these resilient communities.
Step into the gallery space and be enveloped by the aroma of cocoa leaves and dried pods, igniting your senses, and drawing you into the narrative. Through sight, taste, smell, and touch, participants are immersed in the complex web of emotions surrounding the cocoa industry, from the bitter realities to the sweet moments of resilience and hope.
Afe Bi Yε Esan is more than just an exhibition—it's a journey of awareness, empathy, and ultimately, repair. By confronting the challenges faced by cocoa farmers, visitors are compelled to confront their own role in the story and emerge with a renewed commitment to positive change.
Check out these events as part of the New Creatives Exhibition
About the Chocolate Has a Name Project
Afe Bi Yε Esan is part of Chocolate Has a Name, a longer project and pioneering initiative integrating cocoa processing and its value addition into the curriculum for children in cocoa farming regions across West Africa. As this endeavour is an ongoing life affirming work, there will be numerous chapters to the narrative, with each instalment being part of the broader 'Chocolate Has a Name' project. Details about the project can be accessed here.
About the Artist: Adelle A’Asante
Adelle A'asante, a lived-experience storyteller, hails from a long lineage of West African Griots. She focuses on the sacred art of storytelling as a tool for social change and justice. Adelle is currently emerging as a New Creative in Calderdale, using her artistic practice to illuminate forgotten narratives of marginalised communities, aiming to foster empathy and inspire social transformation. Through the New Creatives Traineeship, she aspires to grow as a visual artist, contributing to Halifax's vibrant art landscape, and advocating for fair and sustainable practices in her project exploring cocoa as a pedagogy, an art medium, an embodied absence of the past, and as the Cocoa Artist.
About the New Creatives Project
Real living wage traineeship programmes
New Creatives is a training and mentorship programme that will help to kick start the careers of four emerging artists in Calderdale.
During their six-month paid placement, the successful candidates have the opportunity to earn, learn and create at the same time. They will gain valuable skills and mentoring tailored to their practise and will be supported in developing a new cultural activity that will engage and inspire the people of Calderdale to be more creative in their everyday lives. In October 2023 we were pleased to welcome the first two artists to the programme, Rachel Rea and Adelle A’asante. We’ll be sharing news about their journey as well as recruiting the next two positions in the spring of 2024.
With the support of Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council’s Culture Grants, New Creatives seeks to address some of the challenges and barriers that exist in the cultural sector by empowering the next generation of visual artists underrepresented by the cultural sector.