The African Desperate

Artist Martine Syms is in residence to complete the audio post-production for a new feature-length moving-image work, The African Desperate. The film follows its main protagonist, Palace, on one very long day in August 2017 that starts at an MFA program in upstate New York and ends at the Chicago Blue Line Station. The principal filming of The African Desperate took place in July 2021 on location throughout the Hudson Valley.

Martine Syms has earned wide recognition for a practice that combines conceptual grit, humor, and social commentary. She has shown extensively, including solo exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and Tate Liverpool. She is a recipient of the Creative Capital Award, a United States Artists fellowship, the Tiffany Foundation award and the Future Fields Art Prize.