Tomas Kamphuis - Art Chooses Us

"Art Chooses Us" by Tomas Kamphuis

Kamphuis reflects on the film's themes of challenging stereotypes, amplifying underrepresented voices, and the organic selection of artists. The documentary celebrates African diversity and its future, receiving acclaim for its nuanced portrayal of the continent, including winning Best Short Documentary at Cannes Indie Short Awards.

Interview by Kaitlynn VanderWaal / All Images are extracts from the film by Tomas Kamphuis / 10min

We sat down with Director Tomas Kamphuis to delve into his short documentary, Art Chooses Us. The film portraits the African art scene by focusing on four artists from different countries, each bringing their own story and experience.

Sunny Dolat - Kenya - Production designer and Fashion stylist
Kampire Bahana - Uganda - DJ
Kwame Sousa - São Tomé - Painted Arts
Yves Sambu - Democratic Republic of Congo - Photographer, Performance Art

What inspired you to create Art Chooses Us and how did you select the four artists to feature? Did that happen organically, or was there a plan?

I received a call from Yev Kravt who's very involved in the art scene, particularly in art festivals, biennials, those types of events. She's been familiar with my work for quite a while and asked if I wanted to make a film for the Biennial in São Tomé and Príncipe, an island I had never heard of before. After finding it on Google Maps, I was intrigued by the location and began asking questions. She mentioned a performance by a fashion designer featuring 54 models, each representing an African country, and they would all walk along the shoreline at 6am. I could already visualize it. She continued to describe the festival, I learned that it would also include performers from Congo and many other artists from across Africa.

The purpose of the festival was to present an alternative narrative of the African continent, one that challenges the common stereotypes and homogenization. Usually we are exposed to negativity, stereotyping and lots of assumptions about Africa, not just about the fact that it's a very “poor continent”, but to the fact that it's also being incredibly homogenized. When you say, “I met this person from Europe”. The response is usually, “But where in Europe?” And for some reason when you speak about the African continent, even though it's probably twice the size of Europe it's always been, “Ah, these African people, people from Africa.” It ought to be “Wait, which country?” That question still raises eyebrows, especially for people who don't live near the African continent. I think it says a lot. It felt like a project that needed more than just a brief visit and quick filming; it required a deeper exploration.

The combination of the festival’s visual potential, the adventure of the location, and its goal of challenging misconceptions about Africa sparked my interest. So I guess all these considerations combined, also with the fact that we were speaking about artists. You know, I myself am in a creative profession, so I resonate a lot with these types of questions. It just really caught my interest.

And so it initially began through a festival with one artist from one country. How did the other three come into play?

The final exposition included around 30 to 40 artists from various disciplines like photography, painting, theater, and dance. However, only a few artists actually performed on the island and engaged deeply with the event. When selecting which artists to focus on, I naturally gravitated toward those whose work had the most visual and narrative impact, especially those challenging the narrative surrounding the African continent. I wanted to capture a diverse range of perspectives and crafts, highlighting artists who not only had strong messages but also contributed to the island's unique story.

For example, some artists focused on feminism and LGBTQ issues, while others, like Sunny, addressed the homogenization of the African continent from a historical perspective. Kwame, a local artist, offered a different angle by emphasizing the importance of teaching and giving back to the community, as he was the first to set up an art school on the island. Yves combined historical insights with philosophical implications in his performances. Ultimately, the selection was driven by the desire to capture impactful moments on the island, as simply interviewing a photographer and showcasing their work wouldn’t have had the same powerful effect in the documentary.

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What challenges did you face when covering sensitive topics like the politicization of the African art world and changing the Eurocentric narrative? How did you balance amplifying these stories while being mindful of your European background?

I think first of all is the awareness that I myself am a creator. I'm also the audience. I remember many years ago in Istanbul, I made a documentary about the Syrian refugee crisis. Afterwards, I was happy with what we made, but there was a bit of frustration. We made this documentary, we were being awarded and celebrated for it, and we got to showcase that. But how does it directly help people that we filmed? A friend at the time made an observation. He said that making a documentary can blur the line between helping and seeking attention. The two can get misconstrued. I believe that to be true, so I’ve been mindful to avoid inserting too much of myself – my preferences or influence – into any documentary work. Of course, I want to create something impactful. I want to create something beautiful, but also want to let the subject matter unfold as it should without too much input.I shared these thoughts with a documentary maker friend who has worked with UNICEF for years and loves creating his own work. He told me, "Tomas, as harsh as it sounds, we're not making this documentary to help the people in it. We're making it to address the ignorance that exists in the West, and hopefully change some minds and offer new perspectives." And I guess that's something that just kind of stuck with me. That's something that I also brought into this documentary. And I made very explicit to the artist that I was interviewing as well, saying “Look, I'm not a Black African artist making a documentary about African artists.” As I'm bringing a certain awareness to it, I'm also bringing the fact that I'm naive about a lot of things. It actually helps in this situation because I get to learn, and as long as I stay open and receptive about that, hopefully I'm able to ask the right questions that will also open minds of people on the other side, essentially. At the beginning of the documentary, you hear my voice, which I kept in to show my initial naivety, questions like “So why did you become an artist?” The answer being art chooses us rather than being a simple choice. For the rest of the film, I didn’t use a narrator because I wanted it to focus on the people and their stories.

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This film has made its round through the festivals, most notably, best short documentary at Cannes indie short awards. What did you think resonated with the viewers the most when this film was being screened and showed at these festivals?

It's different, because the film was submitted to festivals in the West, and then I've submitted it to festivals in the African continent. I guess you could make a separation there between general festivals, like kind of in the shorts awards, and festivals that were very much focused about black heritage, and, for example, on the North American continent, a couple festivals that are really exclusively focused on Black Filmmakers or Black narratives, in this case. And I think that, because they are different festivals, they resonated on different levels.

I wasn't able to visit every single festival. I think at some of the broader festivals, it did exactly what it was supposed to—challenge ignorance, open perspectives, and provide insight to people who still hold stereotypes. Because, as I mentioned before, even me. Going into this, I'm thinking, “Okay, I studied Media and Culture. I traveled quite a bit. I have an international, racially diverse circle. I don't hold any stereotypes or assumptions.” And then as I moved forward, I eventually ran into some things that made me realize I still did.

The documentary is also very much a celebration of African diversity. It very much focuses on the question, what will Africa be in the future if these artists continue to pave the way they do? I think that for particularly the festivals in Africa, but also Black film festivals, a sense of recognition and celebration and pride also. So hopefully that's what it brought to those festivals.

So, Western audiences might have started questioning their preconceived ideas, while African and Black audiences felt pride and celebration. Did you let these themes and sentiments from the artists emerge organically, or did you try to unify their messages under a single theme?

There were two sides to it, like I wanted to let the conversation flow freely on one end, and a genuine interest in their particular craft. Because even if you were to ask me, “Tomas, you're a filmmaker. How are you trying to establish the Dutch scene? What's going on over there?” I'd respond, “I'm not even considering those things.” So if as an interviewer, you start to focus too much on one theme – particularly in this case you're talking about artists focusing on bigger questions, not just about their country, but we're talking about an entire continent – yeah, it can kind of distract from the work that they're doing. I was aware that I shouldn't be looking for some larger connection in every single question.

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And I think that it was more in the editing process where those things kind of came together. I was trying to look for a balance between what they do and what connects these people. This is also why sometimes, for example, after Sunny is speaking, I decided to put Kwame in between. Also a little bit of insight as well of how the African continent is very, very much associated with colonialism. This is very rapidly changing. So he was kind of sort of the glue between two parts which then worked very well. But all of that kind of happened very organically.

In the interviews, I was trying to balance between connecting to the African continent, their own country, and their own craft. So kind of sort of go down in multiple levels. I like to ask questions that catch people off guard and make them think deeply. For example, I might present a quote or viewpoint about the African continent, then ask the interviewee for their thoughts on it. For instance, when interviewing Kampire, who was discussing role models and female empowerment, I asked her how she would advise a young girl aspiring to follow in her footsteps. I ended up using her answer directly in the film, which worked really well and made me happy with the outcome.

As both an editor and filmmaker, does your experience as an editor influence how you direct, or do you focus on gathering as much footage as possible without thinking about the editing process?

The filming process was quite challenging, as we arrived in São Tomé about two weeks before the festival. At the time I didn’t speak Portuguese, which made it hard to find a local fixer. Regardless, we were surrounded by stunning landscapes and beautiful, deteriorating colonial houses. Our approach was spontaneous and hands-on: we would start filming at dawn, use basic communication to direct shots since we didn't speak the language.

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We captured a range of visuals on the fly, and many of these shots only found their place in the film during the editing process. For example, while filming, we recorded some young women on the island, and later, their footage perfectly complemented a segment about confidence in young girls. The process was messy and organic, a style that required adapting and creatively piecing together the footage in post production.

Did you learn anything specific from the artists while filming, especially as an artist yourself? What insights did you gain from working with each of them?

I realized that my understanding of the different perceptions between African countries was quite limited. While in Europe or the U.S., people might generalize Africa. Spending time in Africa revealed how diverse and distinct various regions are. For instance, Nairobi and Lagos are known for their vibrant art scenes, whereas other regions face different challenges, like slow service or political instability. The nuances are infinite, and highlight how often outsiders oversimplify the African continent.

On a personal level, I saw how challenging it is for African artists compared to those from Europe or the U.S. In Africa, pursuing art can be particularly daunting because many people, including parents, may not even understand or support the idea of becoming an artist. This reality highlights the notion that "Art Chooses Us"—artists in Africa often face immense obstacles, which makes their commitment to art even more profound and inspiring.

This perspective made me appreciate the true depth of artistic dedication. It also really solidified the importance of recognizing and addressing inequalities faced by artists in different regions. We want to acknowledge the different landscape of strengths and disparities rather than dismiss them. I'm glad the film addresses these issues and ongoing efforts.

Do you feel this short documentary captured everything you wanted to say, or is there anything you’d add if you had more time or a longer format?

The first thing that comes to mind is how it would be captured in the artists' actual countries. It would create a completely different vibe, each artist in their own home and element. Some people suggested that the documentary could easily become a series, kind of similar to the concept of "Chef's Table," where art is the subject, and each episode would focus on one artist and their country. Africa is so massive, with countless stories, and there's so much ignorance in the West. If it were to become a series, with episodes each featuring a different artist from the continent, it would dive deeper into these themes.

So, exploring more of the continent is really the key. For example, the sapeurs from Congo are amazing characters with a deep philosophy about freedom of expression. Going more in-depth with them would be really intriguing. Oddly enough actually, this week I received a message from someone wanting to do a documentary on the sapeurs and asking for a link to mine for research. So, yeah, there's a lot of curiosity to explore, and if the opportunity arises, pitching a series that delves into these artists' stories would be a dream.

Watch "Art Chooses Us" now:

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