Contemporary African Art Guide 'African Colours'
reviews 'As It Is!'

Posted under Views on 20th January, 2011

'For years, parts of South Africa felt like an extension of Europe. South Africans skipped ‘Efrica’ and landed straight in Britain, the Netherlands or elsewhere, whether physically or psychologically. Africans north of the Limpopo looked – and still look – to their former colonial headquarters in Britain, France and Portugal (and, to a lesser extent, Spain and Italy) for education, careers, health, holidays.

Victim of Circumstance | Bronze | 8cm x 53cm x 68cm | 2002

The link to India has never seemed as prestigious, despite its proximity, and the size and impact of the Indian diaspora in swathes of Africa.
On the continent and nearby are another heritage and neighbour that could lead to significant interchange. Desert, camels, artists in exile (Palestine, Iran; Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Sudan), whether political or pragmatic, are points in common between Africa and the so-called Middle East, as are Islam, the highly defined – though changing – roles of men and women, Arabic culture and trade. All this despite the likely break-up of Sudan.

My original mission in Dubai was to find north African art, for the most obvious cultural overlap and geographic closeness. Warehouses and other industrial spaces – even former film studios – lend themselves well to being reborn as art venues, as Nairobi, Mumbai and other cities have proven. So, having read that the Al Quoz Industrial Zone houses a few galleries, I headed out there.

Owusu Ankomah - Innocence

I did find artists in exile. But I also came across The Mojo Gallery and met Annabelle Nwankwo-Mu’azu, a Nigerian-born, London-based freelance curator who was invited to Art Dubai two years ago. The objective of her current contemporary African art exhibition series ‘As It Is!’ is “to fill a cultural void” and the first phase in December, which included photographs from the 2010 World Cup, was well received. Most galleries in Dubai focus on Iranian and Arabic/Middle Eastern art; contemporary African art is still “marginalised” according to Annabelle (October Gallery was the only one in which sub-Saharan African art was represented, and then only through a couple of pieces). People in the Middle East have little understanding of life in Africa beyond the media, a perspective she wanted to change. ‘Africa Uploaded: Experiences Through the Lens’ allowed the audience to see a different side of the continent, such as the fashion. Two of the photographers, Anthony Kaminju from Kenya and Uganda’s Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, ran a masterclass.

‘Ancestral Space: Translated Identities’, which opened this month, showcases paintings and sculptures... Click here to read full article

Tola Wewe - Twins

MOMODOU CEESAY- Exodus

Pelagie Gbaguidi - Le Chariot