Nigerian Artists, Others Exhibit Their Art In Spain
The African continent is full of talented people.
Artists from Nigeria and other African countries present breathtaking
artworks that show their motherland in bright colours.
An exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, northern
Spain, aims to show how a new generation of Africans are giving the
world a fresh perspective on their continent. Making Africa brings
together the work of 120 artists and designers.
Senegalese photographer Omar Victor Diop’s work focuses on the
personalities who make up the booming cultural scene in his country. He
works with his subjects, like artist Mame-Diarra Niang shown here, to
bring out their personalities through the props and the pose.
Mozambican photographer Mario Macilau aims to capture the hip youth
of his country’s capital, Maputo. As well as portraying contemporary
fashion the pictures also refer back to the heyday of African studio
photography, the exhibition catalogue says.
The work of tailor Ikire Jones is celebrated in this print imagining
Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos, more than six decades in the
future. The sharply dressed man in the foreground is described in the
catalogue as a tailor’s apprentice who wants to make clothes for the
citizens of a new Africa.
Kenyan artist Cyrus Kabiru creates items out of discarded objects. He
has made a series of wearable spectacle sculptures to challenge the way
we look at things – as a reference to how Africa can often be perceived
in a negative light.
Bodys Isek Kingelez sets out to design futuristic buildings that
challenge the way a western city looks. This model – Congolese Red Star –
also represents his socialist values and the artist says he wants to
create a new world with cities
“full of peace, justice and freedom”, the exhibition catalogue quotes him as saying.
The photography of Nigerian JD Okhai Ojeikere highlights the creative
ways women wear their hair. He wanted to establish a record of the
styles as well as widening their aesthetic appreciation.
Pierre-Christophe Gam designed the website for singer Taali M. He
said he wanted to use the site to transport the viewer to an ancient
African kingdom using the French singer, who has Congolese, Chadian and
Egyptian roots, as a guide.
Kenyan Wangechi Mutu’s short film The End of Eating Everything is a
critique of our consumer society. The film shows a Medusa-like figure –
played by singer Santigold – eating a swarm of birds. She eventually
implodes, giving birth to numerous female heads, the catalogue says.
Malick Sidibe’s photos taken in Mali in the 1960s captures the spirit
of the freedom of the time, which some contemporary artists are trying
to recreate. This picture, taken in 1963, shows a young couple relaxed
about expressing themselves and the way they feel.
Architect David Adjaye was asked to design a new pavilion for the
transport hub at Park Station in South Africa’s main city, Johannesburg,
The pavilion will combine a modern look with references to the
historical look of the station.
The Making Africa exhibition is on at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, until 21 February.
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