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Program / MQ Showrooms Exhibition Parcours

Opening: The eSeL Guide to Ghana

Hand holding a transparent plastic water pouch labeled 'MOBILE' and 'Refreshing Drinking Water'
© eSeL
esel Rezeption  /  MQ Showrooms

In the summer of 2026, eSeL (Lorenz Seidler) spent four weeks in Ghana as part of a “Dialogue Residency” organized by the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during which he gained insights into the structures, strategies, and working methods of local contemporary artists.

“Urgency & Community!” – Through photographs and videos, the exhibition offers an initial exploration of the places, people, and concerns of the art communities centered around Accra, Kumasi, and Tamale.

Internationally successful contemporary artists such as Ibrahim Mahama, Amoako Boafo, and Va-Bene / crazinisT artisT, as well as the discursive practice of the blaxTARLINES KUMASI collective, demonstrate how aesthetic practice can extend far beyond the production and presentation of art. Artistic work, knowledge, international networks, and economic resources are specifically channeled back into local structures and harnessed for community development.

The focus is on forms of solidarity in action and economic activity: How can artists use their international visibility and resources to build or preserve sustainable structures at the local level? What role can art and cultural practice play in not only reflecting social change but also actively shaping it?

An exhibition by eSeL.at at the MuseumsQuartier Vienna—in cooperation with the Austrian Cultural Forum Accra, the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, and Lomographic Society International

esel Rezeption

MQ Showrooms

Grayscale architectural site map highlighting a building section with a red marker. The map includes various labeled structures and surrounding roads.
© MuseumsQuartier Wien