Akomfrah presents Arcadia (2023), a new film project that tackles the ecological implications of settler colonialism, extractive capitalism and the extinction of microorganisms. By using original filmed scenes in Sharjah and Scotland as well as archival footage, the artist digs into the oral as well as representational history of various Indigenous cultures to create a multi-screen installation that combines events, memories, landscapes, and characters in the form of a ‘mixed media bricolage’. The result is an immersive experience of a less-human- centric view of postcoloniality that brings to the fore the often-destructive relationship between humans and inorganic matters in an already fragile ecology.
Through his experimentation with the moving image, John Akomfrah delves into themes of memory, identity, postcolonialism, temporality and the politics of aesthetics. Tackling the ecological implications of settler colonialism, extractive capitalism and the extinction of microorganisms, the multi-screen installation Arcadia (2023) digs into the oral as well as representational history of various Indigenous cultures.
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