The Divine Comedy by Contemporary African Artists


An incredible exhibition inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy just opened at the MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt Am Main (Germany).
Curator Simon Njami in cooperation with the MMK is presenting a great selection of Contemporary African Artists working on different media. The works on show are displayed on three different level of the Museum revisiting Hell, Purgatory and Heaven.
I am more than pleased to share this exhibition considering my eternal love to Dante's Divine Comedy and interest and passion for Contemporary African Art.
"Taking their own widely differing cultural and religious backgrounds as a point of departure, the artists are examining individual thematic sequences of the Divine Comedy".
Some of the works are especially commissioned for the exhibition.

“Why Dante? Because the Divine Comedy is first and foremost a human comedy. And I am convinced that nothing human can be alien to another human being” said Curator Simon Njami.
Aïda Muluneh, 99 Series, 2013. Courtesy of the artist
Aïda Muluneh, The 99 Series, 2013©
Kostüm-Entwurf für die Performance "Houris", 2014 © Majida Khattari
Edson Chagas, Oikonomos – courtesy of the artist and Palazzo Gallery, Brescia
Yinka Shonibare, How To Blow Up Two Heads At Once (Gentlemen) – image Axel Schneider © MMK Frankfurt
Moataz Nasr, Dome - courtesy of Galleria Continua – image Ela Bialkowska

Kudzanai Chiurai, Iyeza – courtesy of the artist and the Goodman Gallery
One of the most interesting Platform for International Art from African Perspectives, Contemporary& is media partner of the show. They will feature a series of conversation with some of the participating artists. Please read here the interview with Aïda Muluneh.

The Divine Comedy Heaven, Hell, Purgatory Revisited by Contemporary African Artists

MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt am Main 21 March — 27 July 2014

LIST OF ARTISTS.
Jane Alexander (*1959 Johannesburg, South Africa), Fernando Alvim (*1963 Luanda, Angola), Ghada Amer (*1963 Cairo, Egypt), Joël Andrianomearisoa (*1977 Antananarivo, Madagascar), Kader Attia (*1970 Dugny/Seine-Saint-Denis, France), Sammy Baloji (*1978 Lubumbashi, Congo), Berry Bickle (*1959 Bulawayo, Zimbabwe), Bili Bidjocka (*1962 Douala, Cameroon), Wim Botha (*1974 Pretoria, South Africa), Zoulikha Bouabdellah (*1977 Moscow, Russia), Mohamed Bourouissa (*1978 Blida, Algeria), Nabil Boutros (*1954 Cairo, Egypt), Edson Chagas (*1977 Luanda, Angola), Loulou Cherinet (*1970 Gothenburg, Schweden), Lawrence Chikwa (Lusaka, Zambia), Kudzanai Chiurai (*1981 Harare, Zimbabwe), Dimitri Fagbohoun (*1972 Cotonou, Benin), Franck Abd-Bakar Fanny (*1971 Ivory Coast), Jellel Gasteli (*1958 Tunis, Tunisia), Pélagie Gbaguidi (*1965 Dakar, Senegal), Kendell Geers (*1968 Johannesburg, South Africa), Frances Goodman (*1975 Johannesburg, South Africa), Nicholas Hlobo (*1975 Cape Town, South Africa), Mouna Karray (*1970 Sfax, Tunisia), Amal Kenawy (1974 - 2012 Cairo, Egypt), Majida Khattari (*1966 Erfoud, Morocco), Kiluanji Kia Henda (*1979 Luanda, Angola), Jems Koko Bi (*1966 Sifra, Ivory Coast), Abdoulaye Konaté (*1953 Diré, Mali), Nicène Kossentini (*1976 Sfax, Tunisia), Ndary Lo (*1961 Tivaouane, Senegal), Ato Malinda (*1981 Nairobi, Kenya), Pascale Marthine Tayou (*1967 Yaoundé, Cameroon), Julie Mehretu (*1970 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia), Myriam Mihindou (*1964 Libreville, Gabon), Nandipha Mntambo (*1982 Swasiland), Aïda Muluneh (*1974 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia), Hassan Musa (*1951 El-Nuhud, Sudan), Wangechi Mutu (*1972 Nairobi, Kenya), Mwangi Hutter (*1975 Nairobi, Kenya and *1975 Ludwigshafen, Germany), Youssef Nabil (*1972 Cairo, Egypt), Lamia Naji (*1966 Casablanca, Marocco), Moataz Nasr (*1961 Cairo, Egypt), Cheikh Niass (*1966 Dakar, Senegal), Maurice Pefura (*1967 Paris, France), Zineb Sedira (*1963 Paris, France), Yinka Shonibare MBE (*1962 London, England), Guy Tillim (*1962 Johannesburg, South Africa), Andrew Tshabangu (*1966 Johannesburg, South Africa), Minnette Vári (*1968 Pretoria, South Africa), Dominique Zinkpè (*1969 Cotonou, Benin)
TO ACCOMPANYING PROGRAM
http://www.mmk-frankfurt.de/en/events/accompanying-program-the-divine-comedy/#c12444

Press contact:
Christina Henneke Head of Communication
Tel. +49 (0)69 212 37761 Fax. +49 (0)69 212 37882 christina.henneke@stadt-frankfurt.de

 

Opening: Thursday, 20 March, 7pm
MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst
Domstraße 10 · 60311 Frankfurt/Main
Hours:
Tuesday – Sunday: 10 am – 6 pm
Wednesday: 10 am – 8 pm
Closed on Monday 


About the curator.
Simon Njami (b. 1962) has organized numerous exhibitions of contemporary art, among them Africa Remix from 2004 to 2007, and curated the African pavilion of the Venice Biennale in 2007 and the FNB Joburg Art Fair 2008 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was a co-founder and chief editor of Revue Noire, and artistic director of the “Bamako Photography Biennial” for ten years, and has published numerous writings on art.  

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A conversation on Sol LeWitt

Africa is not a country! Coffee time with Camilla Boemio

Zak Ové @ Volta, New YOrk!