VLIR-UOS Community Talks: Drawing Resilient Futures – South Africa x Belgium

This month’s speakers

• Michelle Stewart–Professor, Head of Digital Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban
• Janna Beck–Head of Graphic Design at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp
• Bhavna Pather–Scholar and curator affiliated with University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban

Drawing Resilient Futures is a collaborative project between the University of KwaZulu-Natal (Durban) and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, launched through a VLIRUOS Short Initiative.

The project explores how artistic co-creation, accessible digital tools, and shared authorship can build connection, promote freedom, and carry ideas across borders. Led by Michelle Stewart (UKZN) and Janna Beck (KASKA), the initiative grew at UKZN through events like Artfluence and local projects centred on creative resilience. In Antwerp, visiting scholar Bhavna Pather coordinated remote drawing sessions and shared reflections on her intercultural journey.

The project culminated in a powerful moment of embodied co-creation at AfrikaBurn — and has since evolved into Drawing Across Borders, now supported by an Erasmus KA171 grant to foster mobility and long-term artistic exchange.

More information and registration