From February 7 to August 10 this year, Bozar, the Centre for Fine Arts of Brussels in Belgium, is hosting an all-African art exhibition in its galleries to celebrate the joy of African art and joy.
Themed ‘When we see us: A century of black figuration in painting’, the exhibition last Friday attracted scores of students, art enthusiasts and 14 journalists from southern Africa who were on a week-long tour of the European Union (EU) headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
In an interview, Bozar director of exhibition Zoe Gray said the exhibition was conceived and organised by Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa with Koyo Kouoh and Tandazani Dhlakama as curators.
She said it was adapted to Bozar to celebrate the power and political dimension of black joy.
Said Gray: “This is the first time that an African woman is curating with us. From Brussels, the exhibition will move to Basal, Switzerland then Stockholm in Sweden.
“We are celebrating 100 years of work with 120 artists exhibiting from 27 countries and over 150 paintings. It is really a beautiful show that underscores how artists of colour tell their stories.
“Not easy to bring it [the exhibition] to Europe where sometimes there is Eurocentric, but we have done it. Joy is the theme.”
Dhlakama is quoted as having stated that the exhibition was a true reflection of the historic contexts of African and black existence with the oldest artist in the exhibition born in 1886 and the youngest in 1999.
She said: “It amplifies a historical continuum of self-representation while highlighting important contributions towards a previously understated canon.
“Most importantly, it explores a broad range of artistic lineage, art schools and movements and brings together a myriad of artists and their practice in dialogue for the first time.”
The exhibition theme is inspired by the 2029 Netflix miniseries titled ‘When They See Us’in which African-American director Ava DuVernay examines how the white society indiscriminately perceived black teens as potential criminals and a threat, a perception which often leads to their wrongful prosecution.
Through the works of the artists, the exhibition is clearing such misconceptions and stereotypes by highlighting the power of joy in black societies. The paintings further bring forth fresh perspectives that Africa and the black society is celebratory, vibrant and dignified.
Zimbabwean artist Kudzanai-Violet Hwami is among those whose works are on display. One of her paintings, an oil on canvas, has the theme ‘An evening in Mazoe’ and is a portrait of a glowing woman in a relaxed atmosphere.
There is also a painting by South African George Pemba done in 1991 titled ‘The gardener’ which depicts a young man shovelling soil in front of a house in a 1990s South African suburb. Pemba’s profile shows he started painting in the 1920s and held his solo exhibition in 1948 in East London, South Africa, defying the repressive and racially segregated reality in his country at the time.
None of the artists whose works are on display was present at the exhibition centre during the visit.
