Like a true sadist, Kemang Wa Lehulere’s show disavows any grand finale by always opening up “the end.” We leave the show content, filled but not certain with what exactly.
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Sikhumbuzo Makhandula
“I discovered that I come from a family of practitioners, of healers, something that in the family…a Christian family, was silenced actually. It was never spoken about, even till today,” he reveals.
Athi Mongezeleli Joja in conversation with Sikhumbuzo Makhandula
Was the EVA International, Ireland’s Biennial, a failure?
Overall, Koyo Kouoh constructed an artistic Frankenstein. Unfortunately the star curator proved unable to supply the body with the necessary lightning. The limbs were sourced in South-East Asia, its intestants in Europe; the head came from Africa, while the torso was imported from the extensive American continent. So, even though having ticked all boxes of global presence, the spark did not cave in: the overall connections and ideas did not make the exhibition come to life.
Vincent van Velsen on the EVA International 2016, Ireland’s Biennial.
Kemang Wa Lehulere, Teeth are the only bones that show, 2015.
Renzo Martens Congo Project
“If one can search beyond that particular veneer, one would find a version of Martens’ critique articulated not by the Dutch spokesman, but by the individual creators of the sculptures on view. The most rewarding result of this minimizing of Martens’ authorship is that this gesture allows the opening up a whole new view of the works themselves, which have been shown in previous exhibitions but, it seems, never confronted deeply and in their own right.”
Allison Young on the Congo project of Renzo Martens.
Thomas Leba, A Poisonous Miracle (detail), 2015.
Democracy & Demeanour
“Emerging artists (…) are asking important questions about the purpose of art and what it can achieve. Using new techniques and mediums, they are creating artwork that contributes to the socio-political discourse in the country. While the youngest artists struggle to find their voice, it is a rite of passage that certainly pays off over time.”