Contemporary African Art Exhibition Series

Africa Applauded

Posted under News on April 3rd 2011

As contemporary African Art series ‘As It Is!’ comes to a close at The Mojo Gallery, the exhibition heralds the end of a ground breaking series of exhibitions highlighting the creative talent of the magnificent continent that is Africa.  Often maligned in the art world, the project was conceived to highlight Africa’s contemporary visual arts on an international stage like no other. Read More...

El Anatsui in conversation with ArtInfo

Posted under Views on March 1st 2011

In 2010, ARTINFO called Anatsui in Nigeria, where he works as a sculpture professor at the national university, to discuss his practice, the element of chance in his work, and his favorite artists.  Read More...

A’na Afriki

Posted under Views on February 27th 2011

'Africa is a Country' contributing writer Boima Tucker is a DJ and graduate student based in New York City. After visiting the Gulf earlier this year, and in light of the recent talk of  divisions between Africa and the Arab World, he though it may be useful to take a glance at ongoing attempts to bridge those perceived gaps.  Read More...

All about Africa - Khaleej Times

Posted under Views on February 25th 2011

Tens of pastel paintings illustrating people — melancholic but peaceful — have gotten to their company bicycle tyres. Smiling happy as a child showing these naive figures, Cheikhou Ba explains how he began to cycle in Ii. The neighbourhood was wondering who this lonely man with the bike cycling zig-zag on the streets was. Read More...

El Anatsui - first solo exhibition in Japan

Posted under News on February 19th 2011

'A Fateful Journey: Africa in the Works of El Anatsui' opened 5 February at The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura and Hayama in Japan. Running until 27th March 2011, this is the first solo exhibition in Japan of the leading contemporary African sculptor El Anatsui (b.1944), who has rapidly been attracting attention in recent years internationally. Read More...

African Art at Tang Museum

Posted under News on 5th February, 2011

SUBSCRIBE TO BLOGEnvironment and Object • Recent African Art will examine recent African art according to two fluid and often intertwined aesthetic and conceptual frameworks: the impact of the environment on contemporary African life, and the use of found objects and appropriated materials as a recurring presence in current African art. Read More...

The National interview with Tola Wewe and Annabelle
Nwankwo-Mu'azu

Posted under Views on 26th January, 2011

SUBSCRIBE TO BLOG'It is difficult to come into contact with African expression, not just in music but also in visual art and theatre. Despite the occasional work making its way into the UAE's art fairs, African art remains remarkably under-represented in galleries here and in the rest of the region.Read More...

Reviews of The Global Africa Project, New York

Posted under Views on 23rd January, 2011

SUBSCRIBE TO BLOGThe Global Africa Project at the New York Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) is an unprecedented exhibition exploring the broad spectrum of contemporary African art, design, and craft worldwide. Featuring the work of over 100 artists working in Africa, Europe, Asia, the United States, and the Caribbean.Read More...

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

Posted under Views on 20th January, 2011

SUBSCRIBE TO BLOG'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 for education, careers, health, holidays.Read More...

Evening with the Artists

Posted under News on 17th January, 2011

SUBSCRIBE TO BLOGGuests of The Mojo Gallery joined Curator Annabelle Nwankwo-Mu’azu and artists Pélagie Gbaguidi and Tola Wewe for the preview of 'Ancestral Space - Translated Identities'. Open until end of February 2010, the second exhibition in the 'As It Is!' series features the work Tola Wewe, Pélagie Gbaguidi, K. Ken Adewuyi, Momodou Ceesay and Owusu-Ankomah. Read More...

Ancestral Space – Translated Identities

Posted under News on 10th January, 2011

SUBSCRIBE TO BLOGOpening this coming Wednesday, Ancestral Space – Translated Identities is the second exhibition in ‘As It Is! Contemporary Art From Africa and The Diaspora.’ In many countries in Africa, ancestors are held in high esteem and it is believed that they hold great mystical powers of authority.
Read More...

COMING TO TOWN

Posted under News on 6th January, 2011

SUBSCRIBE TO BLOGAll at Mojo are looking forward to the return of Curator Annabelle Nwankwo-Mu'azu in Dubai this weekend, ahead of the second exhibition in the As It Is! series. Annabelle will join Gallery Director Kurt Blanckenburg and Project Manager Shannon Ayres Holden in welcoming two of the five exhibiting artists to the United Arab Emirates for the first time.
Read More...

Interview with Antony Kaminju

Posted under Interviews on 4th January, 2011

SUBSCRIBE TO BLOGAntony Kaminju, born June 1972 is a photographer from Nairobi, Kenya, but is now based in Johannesburg as an independent photographer. He lectures part time at Witwatersrand University in the Journalism department. previously, he worked as a news photographer in Nairobi with the Nation Newspaper of which he was the photo Editor from 2000 to 2005.Read More...

Interview with AngEle Etoundi Essamba

Posted under Interviews on 2nd January, 2011

SUBSCRIBE TO BLOGAngèle Etoundi Essamba was born in Douala and grew-up in Yaoundé, Cameroon. As a young girl, she traveled to Paris and later moved to the Netherlands to study at the Nederlandse Fotovakschool (Netherlands Professional School of Photography). Her photographs were first displayed in 1985 at the Maison Descartes in Amsterdam and she has since exhibited in Africa, Europe, South America and the
United States.Read More...

Dubai International Film Festival

Posted under News on 22 December, 2010

SUBSCRIBE TO BLOGLast week As It Is! Curator Annabelle and artists Ntare Guma, Angele Etoundi Essamba joined the international movie world and Dubai dignitaries for the VIP opening of the 7th Dubai International Film Festival. DIFF, a major international festival, attracted stars Colin Firth, Ed Harris, Colin Farrell and Sean Penn for a weeklong program of events
and premiers.Read More...

Interview with Rushay Booysen

Posted under Interviews on 18th December, 2010

SUBSCRIBE TO BLOGRushay Booysen was born and raised in the small coastal city of Port Elizabeth on the Eastern coastline of South Africa. An avid supporter of various art mediums, he developed a love for sharing and exploring a variety of topics concerning identity, culture and post apartheid South Africa.
Read More...

PAINTING ACROSS CULTURES By Professor Wole Soyinka

Posted under Views on 12 December, 2010

SUBSCRIBE TO BLOG Usually, African art turns its face towards Europe, occasionally also towards the United States but, mostly towards Europe. This is not surprising, once we recall that what most of what we know as modern Africa is a creation of Europe, through colonialism. Read More...

Talking with Images

Posted under News on 13 December, 2010

SUBSCRIBE TO BLOGIn-between ‘Africa Uploaded ’ opening night, back-to-back press interviews, exploring Dubai and walking the red carpet at Dubai International Film Festival, artists Ntare and Antony Kaminju made time to conduct a two-day photographic workshop at The Mojo Gallery. Over twenty students with a wide variety of photographic and life experience took part in the detailed and interactive workshop.Read More...

Interview with Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine

Posted under Interviews on 12th December, 2010

SUBSCRIBE TO BLOGNtare Guma mbaho mwine is a first generation Ugandan-American working in the mediums of photography, theatre, film and television. His photographic work has featured in Vanity fair and exhibited at blue sky Gallery, The United Nations, Rush arts Gallery, the UCLA fowler museum, The Latino art museum, and has been featured on the HBO television series "Six feet Under." Read More...

Opening Night – Africa Uploaded

Posted under News on 13 December, 2010

SUBSCRIBE TO BLOG‘Africa Uploaded: Experiences Through The Lens’ opened Wednesday night at The Mojo Gallery. The first in a four-part series ‘As It Is, this premier exhibition showcases work of 8 African photographers. London-based curator, Annabelle Nwankwo-Mu’azu was joined by three of the photographers. Read More...

‘Africa Uploaded’ by Curator Annabelle Nwankwo - Mu'azu

Posted under Views on 07 December, 2010

SUBSCRIBE TO BLOGFor as long as there have been cameras in existence, Africans have been documenting the personal, social, cultural and political histories of the continent. For the African artist the camera has been the perfect medium to explore fervently and dynamically a creative direction and a visionary discourse, liberating and pushing original thought to new and
exciting levels. Read More...