How have artists from the African continent and its diaspora experienced and artistically processed everyday life over the last 100 years? To answer this question, the team led by Koyo Kouoh, Director and Chief Curator of the Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town, South Africa, undertook intensive research. The result is a comprehensive show that brings together works by 156 artists: a kaleidoscope dedicated to African figurative painting of the last 100 years. The museum has thus succeeded in creating a groundbreaking exhibition that demands to be seen - and which will find its way to the Kunstmuseum Basel in 2024.
Zandile Tshabalala, Two Reclining Women, 2020, acrylic paint on canvas, Courtesy of the Maduna Collection © Zandile Tshabalala Studio
The title of the exhibition is inspired by the Netflix mini-series When They See Us (2019) by African-American director Ava DuVernay, which explores how black youths are seen by white people as potential criminals and therefore as a threat. The change from "They" to "We" in the exhibition title represents a reversal of perspective: the exhibited works focus on the artists' point of view. The more than 200 works of art are divided into five chapters. They are entitled "Everyday Life", "Joy and Celebration", "Serenity", "Sensuality" and "Triumph and Emancipation". With this multifaceted special exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Basel | Gegenwart, we would like to present figurative painting from Africa and the African diaspora since the 1920s. Sound stations and an atmospheric scenography provide additional interpretations. In addition, a multi-layered supporting program will be offered in cooperation with partners.
May 25 to October 27, 2024
https://kunstmuseumbasel.ch
