Black Modernism was a development that was finding a home for itself in contemporary white culture. Not only did it stimulate wonderful movements like the Harlem Renaissance, it exposed society to black experience and the shortcomings in black rights. As an artistic expression Black Modernism continues to develop and by doing so creates contemporary expression for a new generation.
Toguo is an artist concerned about organic connections in times when human relationships are characterised by what is frail. Instead of making the people of Douala modern day martyrs living in the context of advanced capitalism, he created works that resonate with the rest of Cameroonian society.
Two artists, each effectively navigating the metamorphosizing artscape in Africa, meet for a tête-a-tête before the Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2020. Artist/art correspondent Zihan Kassam looks at the philosophy behind Stanislaw Trzebinski’s imaginative bronze sculptures and asks about his new life living in South Africa.
In this exhibition, Mapondera, who is known for his paintings on canvas and the trademark installations of tapestries weaved out of cardboard, went beyond his orthodox creative style to work with wood and metal, as well as to incorporate sound. Thus, the work appeals to more senses beyond the visual. This body of three-dimensional works is a narrative of Zimbabweans’ survival strategies or their coping mechanisms in the face of the endless hardships
Barnabas Ticha Muvhuti on recent work of Wallen Mapondera from Zimbabwe
Toni Morrison (1931-2019) was one of the most important American writers. She inspired many fellow authors and also artists. She won the Nobel Prize for Literature and emphatically made her voice heard in discussions about race, feminism and Black Lives Matter. She was a novelist of the black experience.
Sarah Ladipo Manyika had the chance to meet her. In this article she gives an extensive, personal report of her meeting. Read more »