by Few countries in Africa have been at the forefront of the contemporary art scene like Nigeria. In 2024, as Africa aims to buck the decades-long trend of under-representation at the Venice Biennale, all eyes will be on the West African country for its ambitious second national pavilion, alongside first-time participants Benin and Morocco. whose presence has been hailed as “a milestone for the continent.”
Aindrea Emelife, the 29-year-old curator of the Nigerian pavilion, does not take the responsibility lightly. “It is extremely important for Nigeria and for Africa. I feel like we are on the cusp of something, politically and culturally,” she says Emelife, promising that the pavilion will “embrace the unexpected,” “show who we are,” and “break free from narrow stereotypes.”
Sunshine Alaibe, creative director of Art Report Africa, a visual arts and culture center in Nigeria, says the continent’s artists, designers and filmmakers are “slaying” their way onto the global stage. Events like Art ”.
Azu Nwagbogu, Nigerian curator of the Benin pavilion, says: “The simultaneous participation of Benin and Morocco, two nations with a rich artistic history, marks a milestone for the continent.
“Benin’s distinctive visa-free and open border policy, a rarity on the continent, has led to a cultural renaissance for Africa,” he adds. “The nation, under the president [Patrice] “Talon leadership is at the forefront of the ambitious restitution movement, taking a leading role in shaping the arts and cultural landscape across the continent.”
We are refuting what the colonial project attempted to do: disconnect us from our culture. Instead we embrace it
Aindrea Emelife, art curator
Emelife has put together an impressive line-up for the Nigerian pavilion, including British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare and Nigerian-American visual artist Toyin Ojih Odutola, as well as “rising art world star” Precious Okoyomon, although only one, Londoner Ndidi Dike, is present. based in Nigeria.
“In all corners of culture, from the rise of cinema in Nollywood to the global dominance of Afrobeats, from our avalanche of Nigerian authors to our culinary experiments internationally and, of course, an international focus and fervor for the art contemporary, Nigeria is booming because in many ways, creatives look back and within themselves and imagine a future,” says Emelife. “We are refuting what the colonial project tried to do: disconnect us from our culture. Instead, we embrace it, reinvent it, and bring it to the world.”
The theme of the pavilion is Imaginary Nigeria because, says Emelife, “imagination is the most fertile and powerful tool of liberation that we possess.”
“How do you imagine a nation? Can we make a contemporary parable? These are some of the questions that arose when I sat down to reflect on how to articulate such a diverse nation,” she says, adding that “optimism and faith in the future are ingrained in the Nigerian psyche.”
“The Nigerian Pavilion launches the viewer into an optimistic future driven by the wind of history: an optimistic past, a disturbing present and an imagination of a Nigeria that could have been and of many Nigerias that live within us.”
Related: Nollywood moment: African film industries ‘could create 20 million jobs’
Emelife is the curator of modern and contemporary art at the highly anticipated Museum of West African Art (Mowaa), based in Benin City, Nigeria, which will open in stages starting in late 2024. Christie’s and Mowaa collaborated on last year to raise funds for the Nigerian Pavilion, with artists such as Shonibare and Britain’s Tunji Adeniyi-Jones donating works.
The 60th edition of the Venice Biennale, which will take place from April 20 to November 24, is directed by Adriano Pedrosa, Brazilian curator and director of the São Paulo Museum of Art, and explores the idea of Stranieri Ovunque, or Foreigners Everywhere, which evokes the concept of no borders, “a world plagued by multiple crises related to the movement and existence of people between countries.” The UK will be represented by Ghanaian-born artist and filmmaker John Akomfrah, who moved to England when he was four years old.
The Benin pavilion will feature four artists: Mofouli Bello, Chloé Quenum, Ishola Akpo and Romuald Hazoumé, who will address the theme Everything precious is fragile. “This theme provides a lens through which we can navigate tragic historical events, such as the transatlantic slave trade and the resistance to it through the bravery of Agojie, the Amazons of Dahomey,” says Nwagbogu, citing the female warriors. of Benin elite.
Nwagbogu, who founded the African Artists Foundation in 2007 and is director of the LagosPhoto Festival, recently visited the high priest of voodoo at his palace in Ouidah. He “he had a memorial wall with portraits of past ancestors. [and] in the middle of that memorial wall was a framed photograph of George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks and Breonna Taylor,” he says.
“It was a moving moment. He was visibly emotional when we talked about the violence meted out against African Americans in the United States.”
The pavilion’s theme “involves addressing the pressing issues of our time: ecology, climate change, biodiversity loss, and the wisdom of learning from nature and our ancestors to meet the challenges of the 21st century,” says Nwagbogu. .
Four art events not to be missed in Africa in 2024
• 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair (February 8-11): The fair will showcase contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora in Marrakech, Morocco. Touria El Glaoui, founding director, says her goal is to “contribute to a global narrative that recognizes Africa’s fundamental role in the contemporary art landscape.”
• Investec Cape Town Art Fair (16-18 February): The curatorial theme of the 2024 edition of Africa’s largest art fair is Unbound, and will focus on emerging and “unbound” voices. “Art becomes a compelling catalyst in the midst of global challenges. It offers people a platform for expression, a space where diverse voices can be heard,” say the organizers. The 2024 fair features 112 exhibitors represented by 24 countries, with more than 400 exhibiting artists of 54 different nationalities from around the world.
• Dakar Biennale (May 16 to June 16): Known as Dak’Art, the biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that debuted in 1996 and opened to non-African citizens in 2014. It includes painting, graffiti, photography and textiles. This year’s biennale is curated by art critic and composer Salimata Diop.
• ART Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, Founder of ART X Lagos, said: “ART X Lagos remains a cornerstone of the African art industry. Our uniqueness and strength lies in our ability to bring together a broad spectrum of artistic voices on a single stage, from a revered nonagenarian artist and prominent collectors to Africa’s hottest new musical talents.”
