Exhibitions

Hasan and Husain Essop: Refuge is still on view at Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg, South Africa until August 19, 2017

In Refuge, twin South African artists Hasan and Husain Essop address the cultural conflicts surrounding questions of national belonging that have spawned from the Syrian refugee crisis. From the perspective of young Muslims living in the Islamic diaspora, the Essop brothers have produced new works that investigate mainstream media representations of the refugee crisis according to the perception that there is increasing misunderstanding and fear of Islam in the secular world. The exhibition poses the question: ‘what constitutes refuge?’, presenting new works – photographs, sculptural installations and video – which consider the traumas of millions of individuals who have been made into collateral damage as a result of this devastating conflict. The works also explore the circumstances leading to the ongoing civil war in Syria and juxtapose the destructive propaganda and recruitment tactics of extremist groups like ISIS with the peace and spiritual fulfillment that many find in Islam.

Omar Victor Diop: Project Diaspora is still on view at the SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film in Atlanta, GA, United States until August 20, 2017

Project Diaspora is a rich, meticulously crafted essay of 18 works of art that explore the often neglected, but deeply entangled historical relationships between Africa and the rest of the world, including trade, early diplomatic encounters and the legacy of slavery. Diop’s photographs focus on the representation of Africans in Western and Asian art history from the 15th to the 19th centuries, as he recreates portraits of individuals who became prominent figures in their unique contexts. Diop’s dynamic recreation of historic images addresses various concerns and influences. In Project Diaspora the artist uses himself as subject in a manner that resists a reading of mere self-portraiture, and instead serves as a conscious act to transport these iconic images and their significance into the present. Furthermore, the artist exercises agency and control over representation that the original subjects of such historic portraiture might have been denied.

Chris Ofili: Weaving Magic is still on view at the National Gallery in London, United Kingdom until August 28, 2017

Turner Prize-winning artist Chris Ofili has been collaborating with the internationally renowned Dovecot Tapestry Studio to create a work which represents his first foray into the medium of tapestry. Like Rubens, Goya and many artists before him who have engaged with this medium, Ofili has been working closely with master weavers to see his design translated into a hand-woven tapestry. The imagery reflects Ofili’s ongoing interest in classical mythology and the stories, magic, and colour of the Trinidadian landscape he inhabits. The tapestry is displayed at the National Gallery for four months, alongside Ofili’s preparatory design and sketches. Commissioned by the Clothworkers’ Company, a Livery Company established in 1528 to oversee the cloth-finishing trade in the City of London, the tapestry will go on permanent display in the Clothworkers’ Hall following the National Gallery’s unveiling and exhibition of the work.

Biennials

documenta 14 is still open at Kassel, Germany since June 10 until September 17, 2017

In 2017, Kassel and the Greek capital will host the exhibition on an equal footing: Kassel has relinquished its hitherto undisputed position as the central exhibition venue in favor of another role, namely that of a guest in Athens. The different locations and divergent historical, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds of Kassel and Athens have come to bear on the actual process of creating the two parts of the exhibition, while inspiring and influencing the individual works of art at the same time. For documenta 14, participating artists have been invited to think and produce within the context of the emerging dynamic relationship between these two cities and to develop a work for each of the two locations. documenta 14 seeks to encompass a multitude of voices in, between, and beyond the two cities where it is situated, reaching outside the European context from the vantage point of the Mediterranean metropolis of Athens, where Africa, the Middle East, and Asia stand face to face.

Festivals

Les Rencontres d’Arles 2017 is still open at Arles, France since July 23 until September 24, 2017

In its 48th year, the photography festival Les Rencontres d’Arles takes place once again this summer and offers an extensive program of exhibitions, lectures, workshops, portfolio reviews and presentations. With approximately 40 exhibitions across 25 sites and with 250 artists, this edition promises to be the most innovative yet. With the opening of Ground Control and the Mistral, there are two new exhibition sites on Émile-Combes Boulevard in 2017. This 48th issue of les Rencontres d’Arles will lead us “from the local to the global”. Various sections titled “The Experience of Territory,” “World Disorders,” and “I Am Writing to You from a Far-Off Country,” will take you to the heart of Colombia, immerse you in a new Spanish generation, and introduce you to the sideways glance in Iranian photography – all in a sweeping journey to the heart of busy and complex geopolitics.