Tate Modern in London displays its first major exhibition of contemporary African photography, stating that it considers the medium as a tool for world-building.
During the colonial period, the camera became a kind of imperial device, as Western images defined narratives about the history, culture and identity of the African continent. Now, in its first major exhibition of contemporary African photography, Tate Modern in London is displaying the work of a new generation of African artists using photography on their own terms.
“A world in common: contemporary African photography” presents 36 artists – working in photography, video and installation – who represent different generations and a wide geographic range. Each offers their own unique perspectives on Africa and its relationship with the rest of the world, informed by history while looking to the future with hope.
The exhibition is curated by the museum's curator of international art, Osei Bonsu, along with assistant curators Jess Baxter and Genevieve Barton and former assistant curator Katy Wan.
“It’s not traditional photographic research. I really don’t think Africa can be summarized or distilled in one big exhibition,” Bonsu told Artnet News. “This was yet another attempt to tell very specific stories about Africa through the lens of artists who lived and worked on the continent, or paid homage to many of the traditions and visual practices that, in my opinion, best reflected the way we view photography in Africa".
The exhibition features around 100 works in seven thematic sections by artists including Leonce Raphael Agbodjélou, Edson Chagas, Zohra Opoku, Kudzanai Chiurai, Wura-Natasha Ogunji and Zina Saro-Wiwa.
Some photographs imagine alternative histories for the continent and its global diaspora, including the recreation of a pre-colonial royal past, with African kingdoms ruled by ancient dynasties.
Drawing on the more recent past, other photographers engage with the traditions of studio photography, which became popular in Africa in the 1950s and 1960s when many nations achieved independence. These studios allowed African families to have their portraits taken, often for the first time - and the bonds of kinship captured in these images still resonate with their contemporary counterparts.
There are also photographs that show harsh truths about our current reality and the growing climate emergency, documenting the rapid growth of urban spaces in Africa – as well as the hopeful imagination of post-colonial utopias.
Together, the artists recover African history and invite viewers to reconsider the continent's place in the world, highlighting the importance of memory and cultural identity.
Source: Artnet News