BEHIND THE SCENES:
ISHMAEL ANNOBIL, ‘INSOMNIA’
Coming soon at L’Interstice, Arles
Opening on April 15, 2022

PART I

JSVCprojects is happy to announce Ishmael Annobil’s exhibition at L’Interstice Gallery, Arles, which will open on Friday, 15th of April.

Location:

L’Interstice – Josette Sayers

45 rue du 4 Septembre

13200 Arles

Stay tuned!

& Discover Ishmael Annobil’s trailer for ‘INSOMNIA’:

PART II

Ishmael describes himself as:

a London-based poet, journalist, photographer, graphic designer, filmmaker, inspired by the vigour of contemporary society; its cultural overlaps, processes, and visual glories. I have an undying love for realism, social consciousness, and the purity of the frozen moment. […]

I run Chiaroscuromagazine.com, an international arts journal, and Stonedog Productions, a filmmaking collective, based in Camden Town, London. Anthologised in Another English: Anglophone Poems from Around the World (The Poetry Foundation, America, 2014), I have published two books of poetry, namely, Seven Horn Elegy and Ethiop, one monograph of Gadangme emblems, Abetei, a photographic monograph, Insomnia, and one music album, Zingliwu.

Ishmael Annobil

Previously we have written on his works:

A WALK IN MY LIBRARY:
3 LOVE POEMS IN THE SUMMER
Part Three
Ishmael Annobil

I met London-based poet, filmmaker, journalist, drummer and digital composer Ishmael Annobil working on a project last year in London with artist, Linda Karshan. They collaborated for several years with film and photography, making an important documentary Choreographing the Page.

He started writing poetry as a child in Ghana, became a journalist after high school and lived in Southern Sudan and Kenya where he performed his acclaimed poetry show Criers on the Thresholds of Reality for the homeless. He came to London in ’83 and moved with his family to Wales where he energized the poetry scene for eleven years founding an international poetry festival and a pioneering newspaper for the arts, Circa21.

When we met for coffee at the Curzon in Bloomsbury in February I knew little of this. The pretext was to speak about Karshan, his profound understanding of her creative process was a doorway for me. It began our ongoing conversation. He is a bearish figure, warm and present, twinkly and solid, acute photographer’s eye. His brilliant collection of black and white night photographs INSOMNIA was just out; I published excerpts here. The poet was still to be discovered, slowly, almost accidentally on my side. Now I have ordered Ethiop, reissued in 2017, “acclaimed and rare collection of Poems dedicated to the African Diaspora and other similar historic realities.” His early collection Seven Horn Elegy, 1998 is out of print. In 2014 he was included by the Poetry Foundation of America and Tupelo Press in Another English. Anglophone Poems from Around the World. I am writing this listening on Spotify to his album, Zingliwu. Amazing.

In March he called to check on me. Full blast baritone on the phone amidst the sirens and helicopters. A poet’s heart felt voice across the pandemic silenced urban space. His poet’s voice. An email in July: “asymmetric like The mirth of love and providence – jazz” the finished poem. How lucky we are to read here, part of a cycle he is writing for women.

Jill Silverman van Coenegrachts – JSVCprojects, “A Walk in my Library: 3 Love Poems in the Summer”, Publication on August 18th 2020 on Realtime

More info:

L’Interstice, Arles

Ishmael Annobil’s projects:

Photojournalism & Art

Abëtëi

Totem Books

Founder/Editor at Chiaroscuro Magazine (International Art, Design and Culture Journal)

Founder/Writer/Producer/Director of Stonedog Productions

Cine Afri