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New: Artists in Dialogue: Antonio Ole and Aime Mpane
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February 4, 2009 - August 2, 2009
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Artists in Dialogue is a new series of exhibitions in which talented African artists are invited to participate in a visual dialogue whereby each artist responds to the work of the other, resulting in original, site-specific works for the museum. In this first exhibition, Antonio Ole of Angola and Aime Mpane of the Democratic Republic of Congo -- two artists less familiar to U.S. audiences -- bring their subtle and sophisticated manipulation of found and organic materials to create visually rich, multimedia installations that speak to the political and economic challenges of their home countries.
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New: Special Inaugural Exhibition
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January 17, 2009 - February 28, 2009
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• On view in the entrance pavilion is the 2009 painting Finally by Togolese artist Papisco Kudzi (b. 1972). A resident of the Washington area, Kudzi followed Obama's campaign closely and, for this mixed-media painting, translated the candidate's "Yes We Can" message into French. A factory-printed textile known in East Africa as "kanga" also is displayed. It depicts Obama's image and features Swahili words commemorating him. • At the base of the museum's grand staircase, on the first level, are two special cases of artwork. One includes four objects from Kenya, the homeland of Obama's father. A second case includes gold objects, which were used for centuries in the West African regions of Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire to identify leaders and other prestigious individuals and to convey power and splendor. • In an adjacent gallery, African textiles and accompanying photographs from the museum's Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives exhibit the ways Africans use cloth to recognize leadership and make political statements. On view are textiles depicting former leaders of Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania as well as a cloth portraying U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Images of Kennedy were popular in Africa both during his presidency and as commemorative cloths.
Web: http://www.gosmithsonian.com/inauguration
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November 1, 2008 - Indefinitely
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In Black Gold I -- a large-scale, mixed media piece -- artist Yinka Shonibare (b. 1962, England) returns to the technique of painting on fabrics, commonly referred to as Dutch wax cloth, that are sold widely in Africa but were originally manufactured in Holland and England, and are based on patterns originating from Indonesia. To Shonibare, they represent the complexity of identity and cross-cultural interdependence. Likewise, oil -- "black gold" -- is a multicultural enterprise, and one that is of profound importance in his former home of Nigeria. The bold outlines and grand scale of this work also recall the vivid canvases of the abstract expressionists and pop artists, and reflect Shonibare's talent for creating work in response to pivotal moments in the history of art. At once visually and intellectually compelling, this work invites contemplation on such topics as imperialism, the environment, war, aesthetic movements, art, and cultural identity.
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Last update: February 13, 2009, 14:24
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