Daniels Faculty sessional lecturer Abdi Osman’s video installation Shadowboxing (2021) has been selected as part of the Berlinale Forum program at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival. This is the first time the Toronto-based Somali-Canadian artist’s work has been featured at the festival, also known as Berlinale.

“It feels amazing to have my work included at a such a prestigious festival where people from around the world will get to see it,” says Osman, who attended the February 9 premiere in Germany.

Osman’s Shadowboxing is being shown as part of the group exhibition of films and installations in the Forum Expanded: Closer to the Ground segment of the Berlinale Forum. Showcasing international filmmakers and artists, the Forum is an event within the film festival organized by Arsenal – Institute for Film and Video Art. The group exhibition will conclude on March 13.

Shadowboxing (2021) features various shots of parks and landmarks from across Toronto. (Video stills provided by Abdi Osman)

Osman describes Shadowboxing as a public installation that builds on his ongoing research into the “gaps between experiences and representations of queer cruising, space- and place-making in the city.” He goes on to explain:
 

“A projection of lush, green park environments that I have documented from sites across [Toronto] appears on the screen. My holdings and records of queer, locational fortitude speak to the countless compounded sites around us where bodies have forged connections in time and space in spite of the continued realities of homophobia, racism and white supremacy that exist in Toronto and beyond.”
 

The projection is augmented by an online audio work featuring local oral histories about queer cruising from the perspectives of Black, queer and trans community members, recorded by the artist.

As well as appearing in the Berlinale Forum, Shadowboxing has also been nominated for a Teddy, an official festival prize. First established in 1987, the Teddy Award recognizes and celebrates works of art with a focus on LGBT+ artists and themes. Osman has been nominated under the category of Experimental Film.

The Teddy Award ceremony will take place on February 18 at 9 p.m. CET (3 p.m. EST). To learn more about the awards and to view the event online, please click here.

Banner image: This marks the first time that the Toronto-based artist’s work has been featured at the Berlin International Film Festival. (Photo by Gelek Badheytsang)