Curator viewing and activation of Eric Magassa’s Rumble in the Jungle

Welcome to a day of multiple perspectives in the exhibition at Botkyrka Konsthall. An investigation of heritage, memory, and place where archives and spatiality meet in Magassa’s specific world of imagery and collage.

Program

12:00 Curator viewing – Director of Botkyrka Konsthall Miriam Andersson-Blecher presents the exhibition in the presence of the artist

13.00 Fragment: Prison/Prophet Fantasy Activation with Freddy Houndekindo

About the exhibition

At the heart of the exhibition, a pumping sound system is presented for the first time – a newly produced sculptural work that takes center stage in the main room.

Eric’s artistic practice operates within a multisensory universe, like one vast layer-upon-layer collage, where the personal exploration of the circular narrative of family, archive, and in-betweenness, inverts the images and rearranges the colours. ’Rumble in the Jungle’ also refers to the famous boxing title match, highlights a prevalent description of the inner city/locality, is a sub-music genre, and a hella good time. The common thread can therefore appear both ambiguous, equivocal, and filled with joy, just as a multifaceted life can be. Let the room shake!

Fragment: Prison/Prophet Fantasy

As a young Black man, I found myself fantasising about prison. A place where I could retreat, train, and study philosophy, politics, and religion, only to miraculously return as a better man. As a kind of poet. Many influential Black men have undergone this very ritual of discipline, isolation, and hardship to become the men they later were.

The fantasy was nourished by contexts where I, as a Black man, was not allowed to be strong, and others where I cannot afford to be weak. Prison, and the notion of isolation, seemed to offer a place where I could, in a way, be whole and free.

Pain, sacrifice, and hardship appeared as the inevitable currency in a masculine fantasy of self-shaping: if you suffer enough, discipline yourself enough, and lock yourself away, you will eventually find yourself, rise, or become stronger. Whether it concerns sports, career, or personal development, the price often involves a form of mental confinement.

The screening is free of charge, the programme takes approx. 2h (screening/activation). Register at anmalan@centrumforfotografi.se by 18 September.

Freddy Houndekindo is an interdisciplinary artist at the intersection of dance, performance, text, and installation. His work revolves around themes such as identity, blackness, and masculinity. Through the study and practice of various martial arts, Freddy immerses himself in an investigation of male culture, violence, and intimacy. Houndekindo is a recent graduate of the Royal Institute of Art (2026) in Stockholm, where he was awarded the Sverker and Birgitta scholarship to further develop his artistic research. He previously danced with Cullberg (2018–2024).

The screening is intended for CFF members and is a collaboration between Botkyrka Konsthall and the Centre for Photography

Photography: c/o Botkyrka Konsthall, Ben Beagent