We Face Forward: Art from West Africa 2 June-16 September. I mentioned this on a previous post, but only put pictures of Malick Sidibe's work. Planning to spend a full day in Manchester going to the Museum and then to the Ritz to see Femi Kuti and the Positive Force as part of the We face Forward events.
View some of the works from the series below:
Aboubakar Fofana: was born and raised in Mali and went on to study and train in France and Japan.
Obsession, 2012 is a new work made especially for We Face Forward. Suspended from the ceiling in Manchester Art Gallery’s airy glass atrium, numerous transparent linen panels hang, gently moving in the air.
Obsession 2012
Abdoulaye Konaté : was born in 1953 in DIré Mali. He now lives and works in Bamako, Mali. He studied painting in Bamako and then in Havana, Cuba for seven years.
His practices include painting and installations work.Pouvoir et Religion 2011 (Power and Religion) is a 7m long textile work which explores the position of Christianity and Islam within political and cultural life. The symbols of religion and government stand out graphically against the grey background which is covered with white spots.
Pouvoir et Religion 2011 (Power and Religion)
Amarachi Okafor: Was born in Nigeria in 1977 where she still lives and works. Her practice is sculptural.
She trained in Nigeria where she obtained a BA in Painting and an MFA in Sculpture from the University of Nigeria in 2002 and 2007 respectively. She is currently doing an MA in Curating at the University College Falmouth, Cornwall, UK.
Inspired by everyday things which we often overlook like plastic bags, letters or rubbish bags, she carefully selects materials not only for their texture but also for their socio-economic context and connotations of use. Her work engages with diverse issues including human relationships, culture, religion, history, gender and sexuality. Okafor uses sewing to create her artworks not only due to an interest in fashion, and referencing women in her local community, but also as a cathartic process of mending broken material.
The Shape of Hanging Skin 2009, a curtain made from the discarded scraps of synthetic leather from a shoe factory Dale Sko, in Norway, is a work which speaks to both individuals and wider society.
The Shape of Hanging Skin 2009
El Anatsui :Trained as a sculptor at the College of Art, University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana, before starting to teach at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1975.
Anatsui’s hanging sculptures of exquisite colour and delicacy, such as In the World But Don’t Know the World, are made with aluminium wrappings and bottle-caps. Anatsui resists the description of his works in terms of ‘recycling’, he is instead interested in the metamorphosis that materials undergo; metal becoming a fluid and fragile textile, and discarded waste transformed into a beautiful and precious work of art.
In the World But Don’t Know the World 2009
To view more go to http://www.wefaceforward.org/venues/manchester-art-gallery
*Culled from the Manchester Art Gallery page.
View some of the works from the series below:
Aboubakar Fofana: was born and raised in Mali and went on to study and train in France and Japan.
Obsession, 2012 is a new work made especially for We Face Forward. Suspended from the ceiling in Manchester Art Gallery’s airy glass atrium, numerous transparent linen panels hang, gently moving in the air.
Obsession 2012
Abdoulaye Konaté : was born in 1953 in DIré Mali. He now lives and works in Bamako, Mali. He studied painting in Bamako and then in Havana, Cuba for seven years.
His practices include painting and installations work.Pouvoir et Religion 2011 (Power and Religion) is a 7m long textile work which explores the position of Christianity and Islam within political and cultural life. The symbols of religion and government stand out graphically against the grey background which is covered with white spots.
Pouvoir et Religion 2011 (Power and Religion)
Amarachi Okafor: Was born in Nigeria in 1977 where she still lives and works. Her practice is sculptural.
She trained in Nigeria where she obtained a BA in Painting and an MFA in Sculpture from the University of Nigeria in 2002 and 2007 respectively. She is currently doing an MA in Curating at the University College Falmouth, Cornwall, UK.
Inspired by everyday things which we often overlook like plastic bags, letters or rubbish bags, she carefully selects materials not only for their texture but also for their socio-economic context and connotations of use. Her work engages with diverse issues including human relationships, culture, religion, history, gender and sexuality. Okafor uses sewing to create her artworks not only due to an interest in fashion, and referencing women in her local community, but also as a cathartic process of mending broken material.
The Shape of Hanging Skin 2009, a curtain made from the discarded scraps of synthetic leather from a shoe factory Dale Sko, in Norway, is a work which speaks to both individuals and wider society.
The Shape of Hanging Skin 2009
El Anatsui :Trained as a sculptor at the College of Art, University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana, before starting to teach at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1975.
Anatsui’s hanging sculptures of exquisite colour and delicacy, such as In the World But Don’t Know the World, are made with aluminium wrappings and bottle-caps. Anatsui resists the description of his works in terms of ‘recycling’, he is instead interested in the metamorphosis that materials undergo; metal becoming a fluid and fragile textile, and discarded waste transformed into a beautiful and precious work of art.
In the World But Don’t Know the World 2009
To view more go to http://www.wefaceforward.org/venues/manchester-art-gallery
*Culled from the Manchester Art Gallery page.
xx.L
