South Africa Thu 17-11-2011

The Freedom to Create Exhibition 2011
Press Release

Hell From Heaven

_{Akintunde Akinleye

Nigeria

Hell from Heaven

Photography}

_{Akintunde’s single bold image depicts the huge waste of Nigeria’s oil revenue, and the poverty, corruption and the endurance of the ‘common man’ in the midst of plenty. Akintunde has worked for nine years to uncover issues of injustice and pollution in his homeland, whilst risking his own personal safety to penetrate the camps of the youth militia to gain a deeper understanding of the

government mismanagement of oil revenues.}

Featuring selected art works by entrants for this year’s Freedom to Create Prize, the 2011 Exhibition is an outdoor photography exhibition being held at the Company's Garden in Cape Town from 17 November - 18 December 2011.

By bringing the exhibition outdoors to this popular public heritage park in Cape Town’s central business district, the organisers hope to engage new audiences in a dialogue around pressing social issues that the exhibition brings to light.

_{Alexia Webster}

_{South Africa}

_{Family Album}

_Photography

_{Tired of a world were photos are so often taken but so rarely given, photographer Alexia Webster, together with artist Mike Saal, came up with the idea of creating free outdoor photo studios on street corners around the country.}

_{Th is image of Ebrahiem Josephs was taken at an outdoor ‘formal’ portrait photo studios on the corner of Hercules and Cornwall Streets in the neighborhood of Woodstock, Cape Town. For two days the team invited families, individuals and groups of friends to pose at this professional studio, receiving a free photograph on site to take home with them for their family album.}

The 2011 Freedom to Create Exhibition combines powerful artworks with important messaging and is a physical manifestation of how creativity is being used to influence social change around the world. It addresses the importance of empowering dreams to transform lives, and celebrates the power of the arts in confronting barriers to creativity and prosperity.

_{Dolphus Opara}

_Nigeria

_{Sketches of a Dream}

_Multimedia

_{‘Sketches of a Dream’ is a series of photographs combined with poetry, focusing on the inhabitants of Makoko, a pile dwelling in Nigeria. Adolphus engaged with each and every inhabitant to present them to the world as individuals, not simply as products of their environment, and portray their daily struggle to survive in a country where the gap between rich and poor is getting wider. He collaborated with other artists during the project to constantly bring a new perspective to his portrayal of a typically silenced minority.}

To find out further information surrounding the events being held in Cape Town from 14 November – 19 November, please visit

http://www.freedomtocreate.com/prize-2011-ceremony