Ancestral Space – Translated Identities is the second exhibition in a four part multi-faceted series at The Mojo Gallery titled '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. They retain an important role in the world of the living: they are considered to be the link between the living and the traditional gods, a guiding light at momentous occasions in life's circle.

Traditionally, the link to the ancestor comes through the Elders close connection to them. Viewed as the representatives of the ancestors and the mediators between both realms, elders impart the teachings of the ancestors to new generations, along with the gifts and the forewarnings of the past.

As long as there has been a creative process, African visionaries have communicated the vital significance of this ancestry through visual art, dance, performance and literature. In many ways, the artists represented in this exhibition are acting as a bridge themselves – a bridge between the traditional arts and the modern. Their wisdom is respected, revered and extolled. Through their work they illustrate the importance of past histories and its relevance to a future modern Africa. They recognise and walk in the ancestral space.

Ancestral Space – Translated Identities explores these links on a number of compelling levels, but also celebrates the work of a group of who through their work provide perspectives on the past, present and future. The exhibition aims to illustrate how these traditional thought processes can be translated to Africa today.

Featured artists:

Pélagie Gbaguidi		Painter & Installation		Benin
Tola Wewe		Painter		Nigeria
K. Ken Adewuyi		Sculptor		Nigeria
Momodou Ceesay		Painter & Printmaker		Gambia
Owusu-Ankomah		Painter		Ghana

'As it is!' is the first ever group exhibition presenting contemporary African art in the Middle East. Over four months at The Mojo Gallery 'As It Is!' is showcasing 21 leading and emerging artists who articulate a progressively evolutionary break from European stereotypes about 'contemporary African art'. The concept for the exhibition series is an artist-led ideology. It is about their narrative, their experience of being an artist and expressing their identity.