The AFI exhibiton at Southwark Park Galleries has showcased how the art world is completely political.
This year’s AFI exhibition, Dream States, has focused on showcasing films that use dreams, memory and speculation as tools to challenge dominant narratives within society such as capitalism, colonial legacies and patriarchal structures.
AFI is an annual exhibition of 16 films, each one selected by one of the global partner organisations, including Southwark Park Galleries. It was founded in 2008 by Whitechapel Gallery and is now curated by the Southwark-based contemporary arts organization, Forma.
Amongst the films exhibited, the pick from Crawford Art Gallery in Cork, Ireland was the 2023 short film Wild Geese 2: Wilder Geese by Irish visual artist Elinor O’Donovan.
Filmed in a day whilst on residency in Stöðvarfjörður, Iceland, the film acts a response to Mary Oliver’s poem Wild Geese through playful pop-culture references that confront the cosmic nihilism of the original poem.
On the politics of art, O’Donovan said: “Art might not be political, but the art world is.”
The 29-year-old was especially referencing her involvement in the Strike Germany movement.
O’Donovan was prompted to join the movement due to the alleged censorship of Irish artists in German cultural institutions who have shown support for Palestinians.
On the limits of its global reach, especially in the Global south, a spokesperson for Forma said: “It is an active part of our strategy to forge new partnerships in those regions — to reach out, to invite organisations and artists from places less often seen in international moving-image programmes.”
Included in this global reach is the Indian visual artist and filmmaker, Babu Eshwar Prasad and his film Dear Chalam (2024), which was the pick of partner organisation, Project 88 in Mumbai.
Parsad’s film Dear Chalam, acts as eulogy to his friend and deceased Indian filmmaker Chalam Bennurkar whose work was heavily rooted in activism and social issues.
Parsad said that as an Indian filmmaker, one of the main challenges he has faced is the rare chance of his work being selected for international film festivals, with these festivals only picking one or two films from India per a year.
He said: “It is a great opportunity to showcase many different parts of the world.”
Another positive of the AFI project that has been praised was the free nature of the exhibitions at each partner organisation.
On art being made accessible to the public, O’Donovan said: “Public art is a public service.”
The 29-year-old visual artist also emphasized that being selected for Ireland’s pilot of a basic universal income scheme in 2022, is what made the creation of her film, Wild Geese 2: Wilder Geese (2023), possible.
As she was not constrained by full-time work and was able to go on residency to Iceland, she will continue to receive universal basic income under the pilot scheme until February 2026.
On self-financing his films from his savings, Parsad said: “I don’t mind losing money, I love cinema for so many reasons.”
Southwark Park Galleries joined Artists’ Film International (AFI) as a partner organisation this year. The project has been showing in London for free since July 2025, and will likely make a return in 2026.
Featured Image: Elinor O’Donovan, Wild Geese 2: Wilder Geese, 2023. Installation view: Artists’ Film International: Dream States, Southwark Park Galleries, London. ©️the artists. Image courtesy Southwark Park Galleries. Photo: ©️Mischa Haller.
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