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Farida Sedoc for Patta Magazine

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  • Farida Sedoc for Patta Magazine

    Farida Sedoc for Patta Magazine

    Farida’s work doesn’t just engage; it rallies while exploring intersectionality and the influence of monetary economics, heritage, and politics on the future of globalism and community life. Hip-hop, punk activism and social care are all themes the acclaimed multi-disciplinary artist puts on wax via screen prints, textile art, murals and beyond. Her label HOSSELAER (est. 2008) has collaborated with Patta and Junya Watanabe, while her oeuvre includes a partnership with Emory Douglas, artist and former Minister of Culture for the Black Panther Party, in collaboration with HipHopHuis Rotterdam and work for Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. Farida also recently designed a beautiful book and the visual identity for Our Colonial Inheritance at Wereldmuseum Amsterdam, where her art installation occupies an entire room. As the newly crowned winner of the Amsterdam Prize for the Arts - Work of the Year for her solo show and art market People’s Forum, Farida levelled the field, bum-rushed the show and won big. For those usually left looking up. For the underdog. For the arts. For the people.DOMINIQUE NZEYIMANA: Cover girl!FARIDA SEDOC: “A 44-year-old cover girl! Nice!” (laughs)

DM: Congratulations on your major Amsterdam Prize for the Arts win! I’d love to talk about the process behind People’s Forum, your now award-winning exhibition. I witnessed first-hand how fantastic it was. How did you land on wanting to do it and when did you start building it?

FS: “Some years ago, I had a conversation with Fadwa Naamna, an artist and curator living in Amsterdam. We’d worked together on an exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. During that time, we talked about W139 - the independent art space squatted in the ‘80s by artists looking for alternatives to the traditional art world. W139, much like major institutions such as the Rijksmuseum or the Stedelijk, is often debated in the Dutch art scene, especially when it comes to its funding and future. The Netherlands has this unique, discourse-driven subsidy system free from commercial influence that supports critical thinking. W139 was on shaky ground financially around then, as Fadwa and I discussed alternative ways to sustain such spaces. The concept of organising a bazaar came up and I suggested an art market where artists could sell anything they wanted, not just their work. The idea clicked, and Fadwa invited me to develop it further when she joined the artistic team at W139. Initially, we planned it for 2021, but the pandemic delayed everything. A couple of years on, we set a date for late 2023. Working with W139’s new team and co-curator Claudio Ritfeld, we started drafting budgets, securing funding and coordinating logistics together with technical and supporting staff. It was a long road. In the Netherlands, curators often have to source their own funding instead of working with a pre-approved budget. It makes the process complex. It’s like: ‘Hey, do you want to do an exhibition?’ If you say: ‘Yeah!’, they reply with: ‘Oh, also, we don’t have any money.’ (laughs) And then if you’re still up for it, you start building a case to get funding.”Photographed by Pieter Kers, W139, 2023, Exhibition People's ForumDM: That takes a lot of faith!

FS: “Of course, you get some money while you’re working on your bid. But it does highlight the vulnerability of the art world. Institutions might provide a buffer but for artists, financial uncertainty is constant. It’s a system that often limits opportunities to the privileged few. After months of development and waiting, we finally secured backing from sponsors. So, after the 2022 group show Non-profit At All Cost I curated at NEST in The Hague, I was officially invited to do my first institutional solo show at W139. I wanted it to serve as the backdrop for a public programme that could engage wider audiences beyond the art world – a decision that also tied back to certain funding requirements. The market became part of this programme, spanning two weekends. Half the vendors were people we know and the other part was curated through an open call. They joined us, offering everything from independent magazines and music to clothing, crafts and handmade goods. Athenaeum Boekhandel hosted a pop-up, vinyl sellers brought their good shit and local artists added something unique. Artist advocacy group Platform BK had an office-in-residence. We also hosted workshops every Friday to help artists professionalise their artistic practices. These sessions covered everything from navigating contracts and understanding AI to owning your rights and working with digital art. Lawyers with art backgrounds guided participants and answered questions. For me, it wasn’t just about the market but about creating a space where artists could experiment, collaborate and exchange. The collectivity of it all was powerful.”DM: How did you approach the Farida Sedoc - Solo Exhibition part of it? 

FS: “I was working on what I love most: screen printing. I had been collecting images and when I thought about the huge space at W139, I initially wanted to make large works that would have an impact. But creating several big pieces wasn’t doable time and budget-wise, so I decided to make about 40 smaller works instead, hung in a single round-about line as one cohesive series. I also want to add that the graphic design and spatial design was done by Heavy Bones, and the success of the show as a whole was greatly impacted by this. It allowed me to focus on the story I wanted to tell rather than being overwhelmed because I had to fill the room. I also love doing research, so I set out to explore feminist archives. But the pandemic made access difficult. Instead, I went to my mom’s house and found a trove of books and self-published ‘80s magazines. The themes were still deeply relevant today, so I took pages that caught my eye and used them to create new prints and collages. One moment that stood out was finding old newspaper clippings about my father and my mother’s university friend. It highlighted the importance of migrant communities documenting and sharing their own stories, rather than having them told by others. This inspired me to create works that imagined new futures while building on past stories - a way of reflecting on our own narratives and shaping what’s to come.”

DM: What was the most important takeaway from the overall experience?

FS: “People’s Forum proved that it can be whatever you want: selling your art, the cookies you baked or even clothes left lingering in your closet. Artists have many facets. The beauty was that you weren’t forced to sell your art, if you made the best hot chocolate in Amsterdam, you were welcome to sell that. It forces you to reconsider what defines your practice and how you want to make a change in the world. At its core, it was about sharing resources and challenging the exclusivity and pretentiousness of the traditional art world. It responded to the idea that artists must follow a set path: go to art school, land a gallerist, make work in a studio and then let the gallery sell it. But that’s not the only way. People’s Forum showed there are many paths to success and no shame in a non-linear journey. The market also brought accessibility to the conversation. Artists reserved tables for 25 euro and sold whatever they felt like, with some making 600 euro, enough to cover their rent for the month. How great is that!”DM: I love how you have this introverted energy that I completely relate to, but yours almost always gets overruled by your care for the collective. FS: “I, myself, love working alone. I’ll be in my studio, minding my business, chugging away. But when I’m ready to step outside, a lot of my work is about shared energy. Not everyone is entrepreneurially inclined, yet the system often demands it. People’s Forum is a DIY approach to the art world system but with a collaborative spirit. Instead of DIY it became DIT, ‘Do It Together’. The Amsterdam Prize jury and the city saw it as something wild and impactful.”DM: So, where do you want to take your work next and what about HOSSELAER? How do you sense when it’s time to tap back into your brand?FS: “Well, it’s more practical. Whenever I have an exhibition, I create HOSSELAER merch, like a T-shirt capsule. It’s always tied to the show and when people are excited about the exhibition but perhaps not yet familiar with my work, they want something to take home. A T-shirt becomes an accessible way for them to connect with the exhibition without necessarily having to buy a piece of art. It’s also a way to communicate the message or context of the show in a simple, affordable format. I also enjoy doing collabs, but not by directly linking HOSSELAER with other brands. Instead, I’ll design T-shirts on commission. Like when I worked with Patta, they reached out and asked: ‘Hey, would you like to design a T-shirt for this project?’ and I said: ‘Bet, let’s do it!’ These collabs are more project-based. Of course, I’d love to keep doing this, but I’ve come to terms with the fact that it’s not my core business. That was hard to accept at first, but I’m okay with it now. Sometimes, I think about improving the quality of the T-shirts. For instance, on a random Monday night, I’ll go: ‘We need to step up the quality’. Recently, my studio mate made a really nice T-shirt and I was shocked by how good the fabric was. I yelled: ‘What is this?! I have the same supplier, but they never sent me these!’ (laughs). Then by Wednesday, I’ll have forgotten about it and three months later, it’ll pop back into my head. My neighbour says, at this pace, I’ll have a successful T-shirt business when I’m 80. Which is fine by me. Hopefully, I can keep collaborating - whether in fashion or another field - and maintain enthusiasm for the creative process. I’ve seen too many artists lose that passion over time, for various reasons, and it’s such a shame. Whether the work is big or small, I want to keep that fire close to me. It’s about having something to say, staying connected with my medium and finding my tribe. That’s what I strive for - to stay true to my art and continue to express myself in ways that resonate with others.”Photographed by Peter Thijhuis, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, 2020, The Future Ain't What It Used To BeDM: What’s next? I know you want to retreat a little bit, but momentum is also a real thing. 
FS: “What’s most important for me is that, as an artist, the focus stays on the work. Once your attention shifts to everything around it - negotiating contracts, dealing with different departments, making videos about the project or talking about it - then the quality of the work itself starts to suffer. That’s why I don’t say no just to say no - I do it because I need to stay sane and capable. I need time to sleep well, be able to get out of bed, not burn out and approach projects with the right energy. Whether I’m happy, pissed the fuck off or somewhere in between, I still have to be motivated to create. And that’s where I’m at now. I want to make space for that, and the prize gives me that freedom - to take time and develop new work. Even though I do have exhibitions lined up for 2025, I’m prioritising that deeper engagement with my practice. As for other goals: a solo expo internationally would be cool.”
DM: Any specific museums you have in mind?
FS: “I’ve learned to go where people understand my work without much explanation. In independent, experimental spaces, there’s genuine respect, and people get the work for what it is. That’s where I feel most at home. The gallery world is still new to me, and I’m exploring it to understand what production and storytelling mean in that more commercial setting. I want to dive deeper into that context. Sometimes I feel I may be overthinking it, but it’s a process and I’m open to seeing where it leads. Some of my friends will say: ‘Money is nice, Farida, it’s really fun to have. You don’t have to make it so complicated. Just create something, and then the gallery will sell it.’ (laughs) I’m still figuring out what that balance looks like for me. And finding a good gallerist is almost like finding a lover. You can’t force it.”Photographed by Goedfolk & Charlotte Markus, Nest Art Space, 2022The gallerists I know work so closely with their artists. They call them almost every day just to talk about what’s on their mind. It’s like a marriage. I don’t think I could take on a second husband or wife like that. Speaking of love: the night you won the Amsterdam Prize for the Arts, my IG feed was full of Farida, which was the best. Everybody was rooting for you. You were in a category with Steve McQueen. How do you look back on that moment? FS: “It was amazing to win a prize from the city and the people of Amsterdam, not just the art community. The recognition felt good, especially knowing a lot of this year’s winners were underdogs who have been at it for years and kept pushing against all odds.”Photographed by Goedfolk & Charlotte Markus, Nest Art Space, 2022DM: How did your family react? FS: “My dad is proud. My mom was at the ceremony, and brought along a bunch of elders. They were drinking wine and having an excellent time! (laughs). My daughter and my partner were with me, as were my little niece and my neighbour’s kid - they’d never been up that late. Our crew was rolling 20 or 30 deep. All the nominees were smiling big at the cameras. Everyone wanted that grant! My fellow nominee Ena, who’s won a bunch of Golden Calves (the award for the Netherlands Film Festival), told me backstage that she knew I had this. When they announced People’s Forum as the winner, everyone screamed as loud as they could. It was a great night.”The Patta Magazine Volume 4 will be included for free with each online order of the Patta Angelwings T-shirt while stock lasts.
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  • Get Familiar: David Kane

    Get Familiar: David Kane

    Interview by Passion DzengaHip-hop has always been more than just music - it’s a movement, a cultural force, and a reflection of its environment. While the U.S. laid the foundation, the UK developed its own voice, shaped by sound system culture, punk rebellion and the raw energy of garage and grime. From Britcore to drill, the evolution of UK Rap has been a story of resilience, reinvention and relentless innovation.Today, we’re joined by David Kane, a writer and cultural historian whose latest work, What Do You Call It? From Grassroots to the Golden Era of UK Rap, charts the first four decades of UK Rap. Through extensive research and exclusive interviews with key figures - from pioneers like Jazzie B, Roots Manuva and Roll Deep to modern trailblazers like Little Simz and CASisDEAD explores how UK Rap carved out its own lane, reflecting British identity and reshaping the global music landscape. If you got love for the culture, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss. David Kane has also been instrumental in the process of bringing the Patta Magazine to life from Volume 1 until now as the editor-in-chief of our seasonal offering. On the eve of the release of Patta Magazine Volume 4, we want to share the thought process and teachings from the brand new book so on a cold Tuesday morning, we met up with him in the heart of Amsterdam to discuss his brand new book.We’ll be breaking down the scene’s defining moments, the role of radio and social media, and the shifts that turned UK Rap from a grassroots movement into a dominant cultural force. So get familiar with David Kane.How does UK Rap reflect British identity?UK Rap has been a powerful medium for exploring British identity, especially for people from diverse backgrounds. Through the book, many artists have discussed what it means to be British in a multicultural society, using music as a platform to engage with complex social issues.There’s often talk about using an authentic British voice in UK Rap. What are your thoughts on that?I think it’s something every country goes through when they first adopt rap music. Early Dutch rap sounded American, for example. After working through the US accent thing, there was a little bit of a North-South divide, but artists like Tricky showed that you could rap in a non-London accent with authenticity and skill.How did UK hip-hop artists approach grime, and how did timing affect their success?In the mid-noughties, I began writing for magazines such as Touch, Big Smoke, Trace, and nascent blogs like UKHH.com. These titles specialised in what was then known as urban music. I tended to write about hip-hop and grime, convinced there was a connection between the two. I interviewed a few UK hip-hop MCs at the time who were not receptive to this and saw grime as a passing fad, while fans were often less kind. Speaking to Juice Aleem about the relationship many years later—his group New Flesh has frequently been described as “proto-grime”—he made a wise point: “There was a disconnect, [it was like] ‘Hey, young man, come off the mic,’ ‘Hey, fuck off, old man.’ And that’s the nature of be-bop to fusion, blues to jazz.” Like many things, timing can be everything. Klashnekoff—who collaborated with Terra Firma and was very positive about grime despite being considered a UK hip-hop MC—could have been huge if he had been born ten years later. He’s a versatile MC with great imagination, but he was probably too raw for the time. Durrty Goodz is another example, albeit coming from a grime background with an openness to hip-hop. Outside the scene, these artists were met with a mostly uninterested music and media industry. It’s changed now. You have someone like Loyle Carner jumping on a track with Unknown T that slaps, someone from hip-hop (or jazz or alt. rap as it's sometimes known) with a drill MC. There are still different scenes in some respects, but the barriers have come down.How did grime evolve from being club music to street music?Garage and jungle were dance genres built for clubs. Towards the end of the halcyon period of garage you had this MC-strain coming through, the aforementioned Heartless and Pay As U Go, plus the humongous (in every sense) So Solid Crew. Grime started in that space, but when MCs moved away from club-oriented themes - aspirations, champagne, heartbreak - and started telling real street stories, that shift happened.What changed when rap became financially viable in the UK?A few records charted in the late 80s, like Street Tuff by Rebel MC (who would later become Congo Natty) and Derek B’s Bad Young Brother, but these were the exceptions rather than the rule, and they didn’t make too much money by all accounts. The UK looked to the U.S. for formulas. Artists realized that by rapping over 95 BPM boom-bap beats and adding a hook, they could replicate the success of American acts like A Tribe Called Quest. British rap was still figuring itself out. It took a few decades before it became financially viable. Although, DJ Target told me a good story about Wiley making six figures in white label releases “easily” in the mid-noughties, and So Solid Crew enjoyed financial success, but even that was relatively fleeting. Around the late 2000s, things began to change. The pendulum started to swing from indie rock to artists like Tinie Tempah, with tracks like Pass Out, blending pop-friendly sounds with grime and drum & bass. Even though it was a bit of messy period—I doubt Skepta or Wiley look back with much creative satisfaction at Rolex Sweep and Wearing my Rolex (although I do maintain Dizzee Rascal’s Bonkers is a bit of a tune)—it helped grime and UK rap reach a bigger audience and find new opportunities.Who were some of the early UK Rap pioneers that inspired you?The earliest UK Rappers that inspired me came from two paths: the first was the garage MCs I went raving to in my late teens, the likes of Bushkin and Mighty Moe from Heartless Crew, Ms. Dynamite, and Pay As U Go, the precursor to Roll Deep, their sound took elements of dancehall, jungle and what we can now describe as proto-grime. It was more about the vibe. On the other path was UK hip-hop, artists like Roots Manuva, Ty, Jehst, and Skinnyman, who were more lyrical. It’s not to say that one is better than the other; I feel fortunate enough to have grown up with both, and it’s a—not-always-easy—relationship that I explore in What Do You Call It?How important was radio for UK street music?In the first 20-30 years of UK Rap, radio was crucial - it could make or break careers. Stations like Capital, Kiss FM, and BBC Radio 1Xtra played a massive role. However, with YouTube and social media creating their own ecosystems, radio lost some influence. The democratization of media meant artists no longer needed gatekeepers to gain exposure.How did hood videos contribute to UK Rap culture?Hood videos were essential in showcasing artists’ environments. They were the pirate radio of video, giving a face to street music. Channel U and, later, video platforms like SBTV & Grime Daily provided a visual to the culture. Before this, people outside of major cities had little exposure to the music beyond pirate radio (which had a limited signal reach), a few live shows and raves that were often shut down by police, and the trickle of mixtape releases available at record shops. (Although, as I write about, Napster certainly helped from an audio perspective).How did social media change UK Rap?The rise of social media and streaming platforms like Spotify created a digital revolution. Artists could connect with fans directly instead of relying on radio stations and magazines for their narrative. This was both a blessing and a curse: It meant fans could get a deeper insight into an artist's lifestyle, but often without the critical context that good music journalism provides.What role did Stormzy play in the recognition of UK Rap?It’s big and has a lot to do with the headline show at Glastonbury in 2019. I’m going to include a short extract from my book to explain why:Whether you like Stormzy’s music or not, it doesn’t matter. Everyone from Adele to Wiley and Jeremy Corbyn lavished the performance with praise. This was UK rap’s Woodstock moment. The culture had entered a new world where it would remain: the realm of superstardom and commerce. But to Big Mike’s credit, his performance was as much about everyone else—the legends of UK rap he thanked and, more importantly, those who lost loved ones after the Grenfell disaster—as himself. Do you think UK Rap will keep evolving?Absolutely. Music always progresses, and the UK scene has moved far. We’re seeing MCs from all over the country breaking through, rapping in a style with storytelling unique to where they’re from; whether it’s Pa Salieu in Coventry or Nemzzz from Manchester, it keeps getting richer. And externally, the influence keeps growing; you have Afrobeats and UK drill shaping sound, language and culture globally. It’s a beautiful thing to see. David Kane has written about music and popular culture for nearly 15 years. Bylines include Esquire, Dazed, CRACK, The Financial Times, and Wax Poetics magazine. He is the editor and publisher of Patta's bi-annual magazine. What Do You Call It?: From Grass Roots to the Golden Era of UK Rap is out now on Velocity Press. You can find an excerpt from the book in our Patta Magazine Volume 4.
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