Ontlotlile Seemela is one of our 2024 Art Writing Residency Fellowship Recipient

ARAK Collection is happy to announce Seemela as one of our recipient of the Arak Collection Art Writing Residency Fellowship for 2024.

Ontlotlile Seemela is a Political Science and International Relations lecturer at the North West University. She has completed her Masters in Political Science from the University of South Africa (UNISA). She is also an art writer for ArtsHelp the largest digital art publisher in the world, it is an art publication founded on the principle of art making the world a better place. Arts Help uses art to bring attention to the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals. She is part of the International As-sociation for Political Science Students (IAPSS) Africa’s chapter Projects and Events Coordinator, as well as a being part of their Crisis Observatory Think Tank; IAPSS is a student-led initiative that aims at studying and monitoring conflicts on a local, regional, and global scale. She is currently examining the conflict that is taking place in Sudan and is passionate about researching problems, market trends, and geopolitics across Africa.

Key to her success is her forward-thinking ability, broad knowledge about Africa& its, international trade/political involvement, insights into emerging opportunities and trends/challenges on the continent. She majored in Islamic Studies during her undergraduate, and this was inspired by the Middle Eastern/ North African (MENA) regions’ rich culture as well as their nuanced sociopolitical landscape, which she is knowledgeable about . In her spare time, she is an avid reader who started her own book club called Literature nook, which caters to future female leaders and aims to create a safe space for women to share.

We are looking forward to working with Seemela and through her gaze and art writing practice dis-cover/rediscover the collection, hoping to bring to our audience in 2024 her exhibition and publish the respective catalogue.

About ARAK Collection Curatorial Residency Program:

Our Art Writing & Publishing programme is targeting interested Art Writers, Academics, Critics and Intellectuals that have a publication project they would like to collaborate on or develop with ARAK Collection.

We are looking for Art Writers (used broadly), to propose reference level publishable projects that ARAK Collection will Publish under its Publishing Umbrella activities.
If you have any idea that you believe the current publishing Sub-Saharan Art panorama is missing, ei-ther new or something you have been working on, we are happy to consider your submission. If your idea collects the ARAK Curatorial Advisory Committee consensual approval, it will be selected for de-velopment and ultimately publishing.

The Residency Fellowship Program was created to support ARAK Collection’s Mission of developing and supporting young and mid-career artists and curators through promoting curatorial research, publications and exhibitions of their collection’s works. The exhibitions developed and produced by ARAK Collection aspire to be impactful and are all associated with relevant public programming.

About ARAK Collection:

ARAK Collection is an independent, Qatari-based initiative, that aims to promote through exhibitions, publications, research and educational programs, Contemporary Sub-Saharan African Art and Artists.

The collection is a resource for Artists, Curators and Researchers, it hosts in-house and traveling exhibitions, it also lends artwork to regional and international organizations, institutions and museums, producing print and online publications, and impactful public programs associated with the exhibitions it produces and hosts. ARAK Collection is a public platform to foster critical dialogue around contemporary art practices with a focus on African Artists and educational programs that have an educational and developmental impact in the local community.

The collection consists of paintings, paper and prints of more than 170 young and mid-career artists of African countries.

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