Lucille Davie
24 July 2007
African art has always been "defined, written and determined by Western historians and curators". With the spectacular Africa Remix exhibition now open at the Johannesburg Art Gallery, all that is set to change.
For the next three months, visitors to the gallery can enjoy 137 works of art from 85 African artists from the continent and the diaspora. The exhibition consists of paintings, sculptures, installations, videos, drawings, photography and design, all produced over the past 10 years.
Gallery curator Clive Kellner, in the preface to the exhibition catalogue, says there are many reasons why it is important that Africa Remix has come home to Africa.
Historically, major exhibitions of African art have taken place in Europe and the US, and as a result African art has been "defined, written and determined by Western historians and curators," says Kellner.
With the opening of the exhibition and visits by the artists whose work is exhibited in the show, Kellner believes dialogue around African art will be localised.
"The ability to control the content and the way it is translated and ultimately perceived is not in the hands of Africans," says Kellner. "Africa Remix will hopefully become a resource or a text around which discussions about African art can take place."
Kellner sees further significance in the exhibition's opening in South Africa. "Given the scale of the works on display, the impact on audiences in South Africa should translate into increased awareness and discussion about this country's role in Africa, as well as the need for sustained intercultural relations."
Africa Remix curator Simon Njami agrees, saying it has become taken for granted that one went to London, Paris or New York to see what was being produced in Africa. "We have been educating the West for long enough. It is more important now to see the art in Africa."
The exhibition opened for the first time in Dusseldorf, Germany in 2004, and has since toured London, Paris, Tokyo and Stockholm. It took Kellner a year to raise the funds to bring it to Johannesburg.
Five panel discussions will be held during the course of the exhibition, and guided tours are available. For more information, visit the Africa Remix Joburg website.
A full-colour South African edition of the catalogue is available at the gallery and at major bookstores. A CD-rom featuring interviews with the curator and 24 artists is also available.
Africa Remix is on at the Johannesburg Art Gallery until 30 September. The gallery is on King George Street, Joubert Park and is open on Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 5pm. Entrance is free.
Source: City
of Johannesburg
