Nima Séne

Nima Séne is a Glasgow based Berliner making interdisciplinary performance and film works. Their practice is often collaborative and rooted in cultural identity and belonging inspired and informed by afropessism, afro-futurism and research into European African diaspora and Black Studies. Séne recently directed moving through shadows for the National Theatre of Scotland’s Dear Europe event.

"Moving Through the Shadows, a three-screen documentary by Nima Séne and Daniel Hughes from a concept by Adura Onashile, explores links between Poland, Nigeria and Scotland before segueing into Ifi Ude’s powerful live rendition of Warszawo Ma." (Mark Fisher for The Guardian, 4 stars)

The live performance by musician and artist Ifi Ude (Warsaw) was research led by Séne and Hughes going to Warsaw to film and get to know Ifi Ude as well as connect with local Poles in Scotland highlighting LGBTQ Polish Weddings organised in Edinburgh by Robert Motyka to support couples fulfilling their dreams. Archive film footage clips were included from The Red Experience film project on Black Russians including the prominent KPFA radio interview (1958) of Paul Robeson that acted as a thread which was woven throughout the work connecting individual stories into a global conversation. 

Séne is currently redeveloping solo show Beige B*tch with the support of Creative Scotland which will have its Scottish premier at Take Me Somewhere Festival in the CCA 22nd & 23rd of May. Beige B*tch was commissioned by Contact and Live Art UK Diverse Actions. 

Beige B*tch is a theatrical live art performance made, performed and directed by Nima Séne. Their artistic influences range from Beckett to Beyoncé creating a vivid collage of pop aesthetics and cultural references. Beige B*tch intertwines live and film elements with social commentary, poems and audience interactions. 

The persona of Beige B*tch emerged from Séne’s earlier performances in queer club spaces and the influence of music, drag and club performance remain integral to the work. Within the world of Beige B*tch, Séne creates TV show “Beige B*tch” a digital space which holds the work of other queer club performers such as FRAN.K and Egan Chan. They can envision to continue this work as a spin off web series starring and featuring queer, non–binary and/or trans PoC artists who could connect globally with audiences through the internet.

The prologue of the show makes space for a local guest artist to share an extract of work. Each location the show tours, Séne will work with a local LGBTQ PoC femxle or non–binary artist to devise and workshop together the artists existing work to be supported in the prologue of the Beige B*tch show. Nima hopes that this will be a way to connect with the diaspora, engage with a local artists and be in conversation with each other’s practices. For the upcoming performances at Take Me Somewhere the guest artist will be Glasgow based artist TAALIAH. 

Séne‘s intention with Beige B*tch is to own and reflect back the anti–black and white supremacist systemic effects felt by a marginalised experience and work with parody to do so. As an artist, creating connection and support for other queer and POC artists is fundamental to their approach. As the beauty industry is growing rapidly and young people are learning vanity in a whole new dimension, Nima is adamant to reject the fetishization of mixed race identity and the notion that a “mixed race future” is synonymous with the eradication of racism (therefore more palatable if everyone is mixed race/"Beige"). They believe this implies that acceptance of can only come with proximity to whiteness. Beige B*tch challenges this through highlighting consumption, capitalism, white accountability and light skinned mixed race privilege as a tool to direct love, care and interest for blackness and black people. They hope Beige B*tch can be a host, provocateur and platform for discussion and expression. 

Séne will be talking on Persona, Pop Culture and Power at the Hidden Gardens, Tramway on the 12th of May alongside artist The Famous Lauren Barri Holstein as part of the Live Art Lunches series by TMS.

Beige B*tch will have its Scottish Premiere at the CCA in Glasgow on the 22nd & 23rd of May as Part of Take Me Somewhere festival 2019. 

Beige B*tch was commissioned by Contact and Live Art UK Diverse Actions. 

Supported by Creative Scotland, Platform, Tramway, The Work Room, Engine Room at The National Theatre of Scotland, Buzzcut, The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Take Me Somewhere festival. 

Categories: Featured Artist


Date Posted: 25 April 2019