My
involvement with Manchester Art Gallery's exhibition, We Face Forward, has been an excellent opportunity as for a few years now I have been
developing an interest in post-colonial discourse within contemporary
art.
It
is important for a predominantly white/European art world to begin to
come to terms with the concept of post-coloniality in the face of a
rapidly globalising society. Many black artists are still denied
access into the history of modern art, it is a sphere which operates
largely under the dominant ideology of imperialism. So I was
interested to see how the exhibitions and events organised for We
Face Forward would be approached, considering Manchester's colonial
history.
Dak’Art,
the Biennial of the Contemporary African Art, from its home in Dakar
has been a much needed platform for the work of contemporary African
artists and drawing the attention of western art historians and
critics since its inception in 1992. Western galleries have been
relatively slow to develop connections with the artists championed by
events like Dak'Art. African art is still often shown within an
anthropological context, which is completely outmoded in the face of
an increasingly self-assured contemporary African art movement. There
is much more to African art than “exotic” fetishes and tribal
artefacts.
The
Hayward gallery in their 1989 exhibition, The Other Story:
Afro-Asian Artists in Post-War Britain
set a precedent for galleries wanting to challenge the stereotypical
way that western institutions present black art, and it appears that
in the past decade the ball that was set rolling in the late 80s is
finally gaining momentum. In 2005, Africa
Remix at the Southbank
centre was the biggest exhibitions of African art in Europe, 2010 saw
Africa, Assume Art
Position! at Primo
Marella Gallery, Milan and in 2011 ARS
11 at Kiasma
in Finland took the baton and continued to explore contemporary
African art within western institutions.
Now,
Manchester thrusts contemporary African art back into the limelight
with an entire
festival
dedicated to the art, music and culture of West Africa. The pieces on
show across Manchester Gallery, the Whitworth gallery and Gallery of
Costume are affecting and amusing at the same time. The work of these
West African artists is as busy, noisy and exciting as West Africa
itself, it feels very much as though you are being invited into the
front room of 'Mother Africa' and shown her family album, warts and
all. It is at once serious and focused but at the same time cheeky,
humorous and at times quite impish, much like the artists (at the
private view Barthélémy Toguo sat
atop one of his 5 foot chairs staring intently at the other, which
was full of immigration stamps whilst downstairs, Emeke Ogboh propped
up the free bar and made cheerful conversation with anyone within
earshot)
Overall,
I think that what shines though is the humanity and honesty of the
artists who have produced the multifarious pieces for all of the
venues. It is this unpretentious approach to making work that is so
refreshing and what makes it so engaging.
I
believe that We Face Forward is a refreshing contemporary showcase of
art from West Africa and that it will continue the legacy of Rasheed
Areen's The Other Story in captivating the
public imagination whilst encouraging a less blinkered view of
contemporary work from a continent with such a rich cultural and
artistic tradition.
Barthélémy Toguo, Redemption, 2012
Barthélémy Toguo, prints from Redemption stamps
Pascale Marthine Tayou Les
Sauveteurs Gnang Gnang (Femelle)
2011
