Art Affects

Ep 25: Art & Archive: Reclaiming Hidden Histories with Sana Ginwalla

Most conversations about art and identity overlook one crucial element: the power of counter archiving to challenge dominant narratives. Sana Ginwalla’s journey from discovering her family's hidden photographic archives to creating Zambia Belonging reveals how reclaiming and reinterpreting history can unlock stories of migration, resistance, and community that often go unheard. Her work demonstrates that archives are not static, they're living, breathing sites of resistance that reshape our understanding of the past and inform the future.You'll discover:
How informal family archives can serve as powerful tools for cultural preservation and resistance
The concept of the "counter archive" as a means to reclaim marginalized histories
The role of visual storytelling in challenging stereotypes and Standard narratives about Africa's diverse identities
Practical frameworks for democratizing access to archives and making them a participatory process
The importance of shifting from fearing failure to embracing ambition through intentional action
In this episode, Sana shares deeply personal stories, from her serendipitous encounters with pioneering photographers in India, to her innovative work in creating accessible art spaces that foster community and dialogue. We break down how her projects, like Zambia Belonging and Everyday Lusaka, are not just archives but active catalysts for social change, inspiring new generations to see themselves reflected in history.Ignoring the potential of the archive as a site for critical, fictional, and activist engagement risks perpetuating incomplete narratives that marginalize vibrant stories from Africa and its diaspora. Conversely, engaging with these counter archives opens opportunities for truth-telling, cultural resistance, and forging solidarity across borders.Perfect for artists, historians, activists, and anyone interested in how visual culture can challenge power, this episode offers a compelling blueprint for transforming archival silence into a symphony of stories. Whether you're building your own project or seeking fresh perspectives on identity, Sana's insights will inspire you to rethink how history, memory, and community intersect through the lens of art and activism.Join us to explore how created and found archives can be the foundation for more inclusive, dynamic narratives that speak to the future while acknowledging complex histories. Your next breakthrough in cultural storytelling starts here.
 
SANA GINWALLA BIOGRAPHY
Sana Ginwalla (b. 1996) is an Indian-Zambian artist, curator, writer and lecturer born, raised and based in Lusaka. She is the founder of the Everyday Lusaka Gallery and Zambia Belonging counter-archive – curatorial and artistic outputs dedicated to shifting towards a more considered visual representation of Zambia’spast and present to build a contemporary archive for future generations. Her work with these platforms has been presented at the India Art Fair Young Collector’s Program (2025), University of Cambridge (2024, 2023), the African Biennale of Photography in Bamako (2022, 2024), Stranger’s House Gallery, Mumbai (2024),the Lusaka Contemporary Art Centre (2023), and the University of Oxford (2023, 2025).
By engaging the public in her exhibitions, Ginwalla’s curatorial work often transcends the protocols of gallery and museum spaces through participatory installations. She is drawn towards bodies of work that explore heritage, memory and the belonging. Working in this way allows her to further understandher identity and place in the world and is what she aims to facilitate for others too. Sana is the author of Zambia’s first photo-book of archival street photographs from Lusaka. She is currently lecturing and pursuing her Masters in Creative Arts at the Open Window University for Creative Arts.
 
You can reach Sana here: 
info@sanaginwalla.comWebsite
 

Ep:24 Art as Healing: Khari Turner on Art, Water as Witness & Black Representation

 
Water is more than a material in this conversation, it is memory, history, resistance, and healing.
In this episode of Art Affects, we sit down with contemporary artist Khari Turner to explore how water becomes a powerful tool for examining Black identity, ancestral memory, and collective healing. Through water and ink, Turner creates visceral works that reflect on the Middle Passage, racial injustice, spirituality, and resilience.
We discuss:
The connection between water and Black history, including the legacy of the Middle Passage
How art can hold generational trauma and joy at the same time
Why Turner isolates features like noses and lips to challenge representation and stereotypes
The spiritual symbolism of water in contemporary Black art
His innovative process of working with water’s natural movement — veins, lightning-like roots, and atmospheric forces
This conversation explores art as healing, art as remembrance, and art as reclamation.
If you’re interested in:Black contemporary art, identity and representation, spiritual symbolism in art, healing through creativity, African diasporic history, or the intersection of art and social justice, this episode is for you.
✨ Subscribe for conversations at the intersection of art, culture, and creative living.💬 Comment below: What does water symbolize for you?🔔 Turn on notifications so you never miss an episode.
 
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Ep 23: Art & Life: Balancing Creativity and Challenges with Phoebe Hughes

In this episode of Art Affects, artist Phoebe Hughes joins the conversation to reflect on her journey into a full-time artistic practice, shaped deeply by her Bermudian heritage, family roots, and lived experience.
Phoebe speaks candidly about what it means to choose art not just as a passion, but as a way of life, navigating uncertainty, financial realities, and the emotional labour that comes with creative work. She shares how personal history and cultural memory inform her practice, and why staying connected to self, family, and community is essential to sustaining a creative life.
This episode is an honest and grounding reflection on resilience, mental wellbeing, and the courage it takes to keep creating, even when the path isn’t linear or secure.
In this episode, we explore:
Phoebe’s artistic journey and Bermudian heritage
How personal history shapes creative practice
The realities of being a full-time artist
Financial sustainability and honesty in the art world
Mental health, resilience, and self-trust
The importance of family support and grounding
 
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Ep 22: Diaspora to Daoism : Art As Spiritual Practice with Lili Nacht

In this episode of the Art Affects podcast, Gherdai Hassell engages in a profound conversation with artist LiLi Nacht, who reflects on her journey of identity, heritage, and artistic transformation. The discussion explores the role of meditation in her artistic practice, the healing power of art, and the significance of performance in community engagement. LiLi also delves into the complexities of chosen versus inherited identity, emphasizing the importance of cultural heritage and historical narratives in her work. Through her art, LiLi seeks to create a space for reflection and connection, ultimately highlighting the enduring nature of cultural traditions and personal exploration.
 
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Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more conversations on art, wellness, and creativity.
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visit Lili's website www.lilinacht.com
Work with me! Business Inquiries: studio@gherdaihassell.com
 
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Ep 21: Art as a Portal: Black Liberatory Imagination and Community Building

In this episode, Jessica Valoris shares her journey as an interdisciplinary artist, exploring how her work rooted in Black American and Jewish ancestry serves as a tool for healing, community building, and liberation. She discusses the importance of creative rituals, the intersection of art and wellness, and the role of art in imagining new worlds.
Keywords
Jessica Valoris, interdisciplinary art, healing, community building, liberation, creative rituals, art and wellness
Takeaways
Art is a tool for healing and community building.
Creative rituals shape our world and well-being.
Art can be a portal for transformation.
Jessica's work is rooted in Black American and Jewish ancestry.
Art and wellness are deeply interconnected.
Creative practice is about process, not just product.
Art helps in imagining new worlds and possibilities.
Community and collaboration are central to Jessica's work.
Art can serve as a blueprint for liberation.
Jessica emphasizes the importance of ancestral inspiration.
🎨 Follow jessica Valoris: / @jessicavaloris https://jessicavaloris.com/ Order Jessica's Study Kit How We Be Free is a tool that celebrates and resources the Black radical tradition. It invites people to reclaim local histories of care, justice, and resistance; to create counter-narratives centered in Black joy and interdependence; and to nourish today’s movements for abolition, reparations, climate justice, and collective liberation. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/... 🎨 Follow Gherdai Hassell / Art Affects: / hassell_free / theartaffects https://gherdaihassell.com Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more conversations on art, wellness, and creativity. ✿Join my community https://skool.com/the-well-8822
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Work with me!
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#jessicavaloris #ArtAffects #ContemporaryArt #IdentityInArt #MemoryInArt #artartist #art #workingartist #arts #artpodcast #artaffects #gherdaihassell

Ep 20: Reimagining Belonging: Identity, Memory and Material with Louise Mandumbwa

✨ Short Description
In this episode of Art Affects, Gherdai Hassell sits down with artist and educator Louise Mandumbwa to explore how identity, belonging, and memory materialize through creative practice. Together, they trace the threads of migration, care, and imagination that shape the stories artists carry ,and reimagine belonging through material and memory.
🌿 Full Show Notes
In this intimate and layered conversation, Gherdai Hassell and Louise Mandumbwa reflect on how art becomes a vessel for remembering, reimagining, and reclaiming identity. From their meeting at the Chautauqua residency to their shared devotion to storytelling through form, texture, and spirit, they speak on navigating displacement, the politics of representation, and the sacred act of making.
Louise discusses her evolving practice,  how she merges portraiture, memory, and found materials to create new visual languages that honor both the personal and collective. Together, they explore what it means to belong while in motion, how teaching can be a form of care, and how artists transform material into meaning.
This episode is an offering,  a meditation on presence, transformation, and the quiet strength found in returning to the self.
🕰️ Timestamps
00:00 — Introduction: Meeting Louise at Chautauqua and the meaning of artistic encounters06:25 — Louise on origins, migration, and how identity shapes her work14:10 — Material and memory: using found objects and portraiture to tell layered stories22:40 — On education, mentorship, and the emotional labor of artmaking31:00 — The politics of belonging and creating space for multiple narratives40:20 — Art as care, process, and spiritual practice48:00 — Closing reflections: gratitude, connection, and creative evolution
👩🏾‍🎨 Guest Bio
Louise Mandumbwa is a Botswana-born visual artist and educator based in the U.S. Her work explores the intersections of identity, migration, and memory, often through portraiture and material experimentation. Louise has exhibited internationally and is recognized for her nuanced explorations of cultural hybridity, personal history, and belonging.
🎧 About Art Affects
Art Affects, hosted by Gherdai Hassell , is a podcast exploring the connection between art, wellness, and the creative process. Each episode invites artists, thinkers, and makers to reflect on how art shapes who we are and how we live.

Ep 19: Being You is the Secret - How being comes Before Doing

In this episode I cover:
How identity shapes your creative output
The difference between being and doing as an artist
Mindful exercises to reconnect with yourself
Building a sustainable, inspired creative practice
🎨 Whether you’re an artist, writer, musician, or simply someone trying to live more creatively, you belong here. Subscribe for more videos on art, creativity, and living a life that feels true to you.
 
I’m Gherdai, a multidisciplinary artist, host of the Art Affects Podcast, and wellness practitioner. My purpose is to build communty through art.
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E18: How Becoming an Artist Changed my life

In this episode, I relect and explore the transformation that comes from embracing your identity as an artist.We discuss how creativity opens doors to self-discovery, healing, and deeper connection.
Whether you’re just beginning your artistic journey or seeking renewed inspiration, this episode invites you to reflect on how art can change not only what you create but who you are.
Tune in, and let’s take this journey of transformation together.
 
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Welcome Back: A Reintroduction to the Art Affects Podcast

Can you believe its been 5 years y'all!?
Episode Description:In this reintroduction episode, I’m peeling back the layers and bringing you into the heart of Art Affects , where creativity meets healing, and where we explore the deeper meaning behind art and the artist’s journey. I’ll be sharing what’s changed, what’s coming, and why this space still matters more than ever.
Why I Started This Podcast:I’m Gherdai Hassell, a visual artist, creative director, and wellness facilitator, who has spent years exploring  in my own life how creativity can unlock our deepest stories and bring us closer to ourselves. From teaching in China to exhibiting my work in exhibitions globally, I noticed a common thread, art has the power to transform not just the canvas, but our very lives. Art Affects was born from my own desire to build a community where we can learn from each other’s triumphs, struggles, and breakthroughs. This is more than a podcast. it’s a full circle journey back to ourselves through art, conversation, and shared reflection.
Whether you’re a returning listener or brand new to the podcast, this episode is your personal invite to slow down, tune in, and reconnect with yourself through the lens of art, storytelling, and reflection. Let’s reintroduce ourselves, because sometimes, starting fresh is the most powerful thing we can do.
Peace, 
Gherdai 

Episode 17: Musical Vibe Dealing with Buzby

This podcast episode is sponsored by The Catapult Caribbean Artist Showcase Grant. made possible by the American Friends of Jamaica, Fresh Milk Barbados, and Kingdom Creative. Thank you
 
is your neighborhood vibe dealer, who uses music as a medium to invigorate his listeners emotions through a fusion of introspective lyrics & soulful sounds.
Buzby has cemented himself as a reputable architect within Bermuda’s creative culture, making music for roughly 10 years now.
In 2013, he was awarded the Capital G Inspiration Scholarship for artistically talented students. Since then, he has released calculated singles that have been featured in Bermuda’s Top 100 (via Streaming platforms) & has received over 100,000 plays on SoundCloud from all walks of life.
 
He is influenced by musical icons such as OutKast, Anita Baker, Bob Marley, Jay-Z & Sade. 
 
2021 looks to be an impactful year for Buzby as he has released his debut EP “What You Failed to Observe”, available  December 2020.
 
You can listen to his music here:
https://lnk.to/WhatYouFailedtoObserve
 
You can connect with him here:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildinthebuzz/?hl=ur
Twitter: https://twitter.com/buildinthebuzz