Exhibitions

William Kentridge: KABOOM! Is still on view at the Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg, South Africa until November 10, 2018

KABOOM! wastes little time introducing itself. The title sets the scene for the exhibition, which largely draws on work produced for two recent performance projects by William Kentridge related to war: the critically acclaimed The Head & the Load, which premiered at London’s Tate Modern in July, and the celebrated 2017 production of Alban Berg’s opera, Wozzeck. The exhibition is organised around Kentridge’s ongoing interest in juxtaposing fragments for both coherent and absurdist ends. The result is a diverse display of work in several mediums including a new three-channel film installation related to The Head & The Load, never-before exhibited charcoal drawings used for projection in that production, as well as other drawings produced for the opera, Wozzeck. In addition, KABOOM! features composite drawings made for Kentridge’s recent performance of Kurt Schwitters’s 1932 sound poem, Ursonate, at Performa 17 in New York and a new set of bronze sculptures that form part of his Lexicon series.

Biennials

Busan Biennale 2018 is still open at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Busan, South Korea until November 11, 2018

The title of the exhibition, ‘Divided we stand’, reflects the Biennale’s theme, bringing together work by around 60 artists responding to the question of split territories around the globe. What kind of sentiments and conditionings does the splitting of territories induce in people’s minds in general and artistic minds specifically? Vice versa, what kinds of mindsets induce the splitting in the first place? However, the focus of the exhibition is not just on the documentary or fictional response artists have made to them. Crucially it looks at how souls are inspired, or haunted, by these political divisions. Even in a supposedly post-Cold-War era, it is hard to ignore the belligerent mood, instigating a whole new level of social and psychological division in many societies, fueled by populist politicians and social media outrage.

Festivals

LagosPhoto Festival 2018 will take place at various location in Lagos, Nigeria until November 15, 2018

The 9th edition of LagosPhoto Festival, entitled Time Has Gone, explores the configurations by which the past, the present and the future interact within the photographic medium. Time Has Gone is a frequently used Nigerian idiom, which refers to anything that is pressing. Twenty-five artists from around the globe are invited to discuss, confront and wrestle with this idea of urgency. Each in their own way, they investigate the practices of archiving, preservation, imagining the possibility of an Afro-based future, putting an end to a ‘‘time that is up’’ or the never-ending desire to reinterpret a past, laden with both nostalgia and/or hidden phantoms. Looking at time both from a macro lens and with West African goggles, the curatorial team sheds light on the long way to go, from the then to the now, investigating diverse configurations of time in the least linear way possible.

Art Fairs

Paris Photo 2018 will open at Grand Palais in Paris, France from November 8-11, 2018

Paris Photo is the largest international art fair dedicated to photography, offering collectors and enthusiasts the most diverse and qualitative presentation of photography-driven projects today. The 22nd edition of Paris Photo brings together up to 180 exhibitors from across the world – 149 galleries and 31 art book dealers representing 28 countries. Leading galleries showcase historical and contemporary artworks from modern masters to young talents. Specialized publishers and art book dealers present unique and rare editions, as well as book launches and signature sessions with many of today’s most renowned artists.

Auctions

Contemporary African Art will open at PIASA in Paris, France on November 14, 2018

PIASA will hold its eighth sale of Contemporary African Art, presenting artworks from around 80 African artists. The auction will comprise a particularly robust offering of impeccable works by African artists, including Malick Sidibé, Barthelemy Toguo, Aboudia, Chéri Samba, and Léonce Raphael Agbodjelou. With paintings, photographs, drawings, and sculptures, this sale will encompass the very best examples of different artistic styles from the post-colonialism through today. The artists, who work across the African continent, as well as in France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, have combined their African identity with their personal experiences and view of the world.