Exhibitions

Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga: Feagile Responsibility is still on view at the October Gallery in London, United Kingdom until June 16, 2018

In his work, Kamuanga Ilunga explores the seismic shifts in the economic, political and social identity of the Democratic Republic of Congo that have taken place since colonialism. Increasingly globalised, yet still devoutly Christian, much of the country completely rejects its multi-ethnic indigenous heritage. The artist’s own mother, a modern woman who supported and raised her large family alone, didn’t want him undertake a research trip to visit people from her own ethnic group, considering them pagan, backwards and even dangerous! It is this loss of their traditional cultures that his listless figures seem to mourn, their bright fabrics hanging limply from their bodies, their hands clutching ritual objects whose functions seem less and less apparent. In this new series, the artist is focused specifically on the economy of porcelain in the Congo, which was used as currency in the trading of slaves during the Colonial era.

Jim Chuchu: Invocations will be on view at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art in Washington, United States from June 21 until June 24, 2018

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art is the first institution to acquire and display Kenyan multimedia artist Jim Chuchu’s mesmerizing suite of video projections, Invocation: The Severance of Ties (2015) and Invocation: Release (2015). The exhibition is located in the museum’s Points of View Gallery. Curated by Karen E. Milbourne, the two distinct videos loop in succession and follow the structure of initiation rituals. Surrounded by Chuchu’s pulsing house beats and evocative imagery, viewers are invited to contemplate the separations and releases that shape our individual and collective identities. “Jim Chuchu’s Invocations is politically charged, visually seductive and technically sophisticated. These works of art are a legacy of our times and a tribute to the vision of a uniquely multifaceted artist,” said Milbourne.

Adrian Piper: A Synthesis of Intuitions, 1965–2016 is still on view at the Museum of Modern Art – MoMA in New York, United States until June 22, 2018

Bringing together over 290 works, including drawings, paintings, photographs, multimedia installations, videos, and performances, the exhibition offers a rare opportunity to experience the provocative and wide-ranging artwork of Adrian Piper. Occupying the Museum’s entire sixth floor and the Marron Atrium, this exhibition charts Piper’s five-decade career and presents key projects such as Mythic Being (1973), in which the artist has merged her male alter ego with entries from her teenage journals; My Calling (Card) #1 and My Calling (Card) #2 (1986), which are business card–sized, text-based works that confront the reader’s own racist or sexist tendencies; and What It’s Like, What It Is #3 (1991), a large-scale mixed-media installation addressing racist stereotypes, which will be shown in the Atrium.

Biennials

10th Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art will open at several locations in Berlin, Germany from June 9 to September 9, 2018

Titled We don’t need another hero, the 10th Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art is a conversation with artists and contributors who think and act beyond art as they confront the incessant anxieties perpetuated by a willful disregard for complex subjectivities. Starting from the position of Europe, Germany, and Berlin as a city in dialogue with the world, the biennial confronts the current widespread states of collective psychosis. By referencing Tina Turner’s song We Don’t Need Another Hero (1985), we draw from a moment directly preceding major geopolitical shifts that brought about regime changes and new historical figures. The 10th Berlin Biennale does not provide a coherent reading of histories or the present of any kind. Like the song, it rejects the desire for a savior. Instead, it explores the political potential of the act of self-preservation, refusing to be seduced by unyielding knowledge systems and historical narratives that contribute to the creation of toxic subjectivities.

Art Fairs

Douala Art Fair is opened at Canal Olympia in Douala, Cameroon from June 1-3, 2018

Dedicated to contemporary art and design, Douala Art Fair launches its first edition this month and stands as the meeting point in between artists, Cameroonians and the rest of the world. It is clear that without a market place, it is difficult to build structured and sustainable artistic scene as well as to arouse some interest in arts. Douala Art Fair’s mission is to help Douala and Cameroon emerge as a main spot in the African contemporary art market, involving its local artistic scene as well as Cameroonians. Douala Art Fair is a unique contemporary art fair. Unlike the classical model gathering of galleries exhibiting their artists, they will present 25 artists selected by a selection committee.