Africa Now: Political Patterns at The Seoul Museum of Art in Korea on until February 15th
On December 16th 2014, the Seoul Museum of Art premiered its first major exhibit in Korea featuring over 20 African artists in, “Africa Now- Political Patterns”. This marks it as the first museum in Korea to introduce contemporary African Art. One could say that this exhibit serves as a platform to bridge the gap of representation of the Diaspora in the realms of a socio-political statement. The exhibition features an array of artists like Yinka Shonibare, MBE and Kehinde Wiley that examines how identities are shaped by intersectional patterns of race, gender and socio-political economics. It also conveys an immigrant experience of living in North America or Europe.
Yinka Shonibare MBE’s contributes a variety of art froms, sculptures, installation as well as photography. His sculpture, Earth (2010) is a life-sized mannequin that will make you stop in your tracks due to the striking stance, which is donned in the vibrant Dutch fabrics of Europe but immensely associated with African identity. The globe enhances the theme of cultural discovery and education implicating a bridge of cultures in one figure by itself. The piece stands out due to its striking complexity grounded in nature, masculinity and globalization and maybe even appropriation.
In Kehinde Wiley’s work, his most popular themes are examining masculinity in history from painting mostly men in grand historical portraits with flower- patterned background. In Africa Now, two portraits stand out, Kingston parade: Alexander I, Emperor of Russia, after Gerard’s 1817 painting and Urban identity: another new painting by Wiley of China Samantha Nash where he continues to challenge the faces of history in western paintings by replacing them with faces of color and instead of women it’s men. It is clear that he is challenging the roles of race and class in regards to how people of color are represented. He consistently plays with power juxtapositions by stretching the cultural and political implications while craving out an array of identities.
In whole, this exhibit seeks to examine the scope of the African Diaspora through slavery and imperialism, and attempts to question postcolonial concepts. This exhibit is extremely important right now due to its awareness of issues that stem socio-politically in global market in Korea.
Africa Now: Political Patterns is on view at the Seoul Museum of Art until February 15th 2015.
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Morton Fine Art: curator's notes 