Solo Exhibitions

Sungi Mlengeya: (Un)choreographed is still on view at The Africa Centre in London, United Kingdom until July 24, 2022

Developed in partnership between Ugandan-based gallery Afriart and The Africa Centre, Tanzanian artist Sungi Mlengeya’s debut London solo show (Un)choreographed pays homage to the vivid history of dance and the myriad of ways that dance creates liberation for women across Africa and its Diaspora. Curated by Tammi Bello and Jessica Lowe-Mbirimi, Mlengeya’s exhibition unveils eight striking large-scale paintings that radiate energy and celebrate the agency and power of their Black women subjects. (Un)choreographed reflects the artist’s recent interest in immersing herself in her abundant culture as a journey of discovery. Through Dance, Mlengeya explores larger social themes of female empowerment, specifically that of Black women.

El Hadji Sy: Now/Naaw is still on view at Selebe Yoon in Dakar, Senegal until July 30, 2022

The title of the exhibition “Now/Naaw” plays on the simultaneous Wolof meaning of the word “to fly”. As a painter, El Hadji Sy works are made with a variety of materials such as industrial jute sacks originally used to ship rice or sugar, kites, butcher’s paper and recycled paper, mirrors, glass, shells, wood, tar – and all hold a performative function. Mobile like props on a stage, semi-functional, blurring the boundaries between functionality and aesthetics, his works metamorphose into paravents, doors, windows, clothes, furnitures and itinerant structures. His political stand manifests itself with paintings both figurative and abstract that convey a visual musicality whereby the bodies and forms submit themselves to a permanent undulatory rhythm. From poetic interpretations of political events, renderings of daily scenes, references to Dakar’s urbanism, portraits of political, intellectual, mythological or ordinary figures, his works interweave politico-socio economical comments and critical reflections on cultural and globalized systems of production.

James Barnor: Accra/London – A Retrospective is still on view at MASI Lugano in Lugano, Italy until July 31, 2022

The exhibition presents a selection of over 200 works from Barnor’s vast personal archive, including numerous previously unpublished images. Whether family photos, commissioned portraits or commercial assignments, Barnor’s exceptional ability to convey official and personal histories in the terms of an intimate dialogue, encounters based on a human connection, shines through. In addition to vintage photographs, reprints and original documents, the show also presents magazine covers and record sleeves, and focuses in particular on the decades 1950-1980. It unfolds in the historic rooms of the Palazzo Reali as a chronological journey through the key periods in Barnor’s life and work – from the early days in Accra, with his “Ever Young” studio, to his years in London; from his first colour photographs to his collaboration with the anti-apartheid magazine “Drum” and his passion for music and the performing arts.

Group Exhibitions

African Identities | Chapter II is still on view at AKKA Project in Venice, Italy until July 15, 2022

The first edition of African Identities will focus on the art scene of some of the East African countries Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. Counting on so many different ethnic groups and cultures, talents, and styles, AKKA Project aims to present and gather these many artists, including established and young talents, under one roof, giving them an opportunity for fruitful dialogues. Each territory has mastered its unique distinctiveness. Individually each has bloomed from the fertile soil and risen to diverse original contemporary artists who masterfully experiment with new subjects, styles, and materials. AKKA Project aspires to create a unique and enriching experience, allowing visitors to discover the artists’ stories and works in Venice during the period of the 59th Biennale, which is taking place from 23 April to 27 November.

Biennials

59th Venice Biennale will open at various locations in Venice, Italy from April 23 to November 27, 2022

The 59^th International Art Exhibition will be titled The Milk of Dreams. This name is borrowed from a book by Leonora Carrington, in which, as the curator Cecilia Alemani says, “the Surrealist artist describes a magical world where life is constantly re-envisioned through the prism of the imagination, and where everyone can change, be transformed, become something and someone else. The exhibition takes us on an imaginary journey through metamorphoses of the body and definitions of humanity.” This edition will feature, as usual, the National Participations, with each country presenting its own exhibition in the Pavilions of the Giardini and the Arsenale, and in the historic centre of Venice. This edition will once again include a selection of Collateral Events organized by international institutions, which will hold their own shows and initiatives in Venice.