DUBAI: A gigantic installation composed of a wood-and-sheet metal framework onto which have been placed dozens of metal barrels and variously sized plastic bottles is stationed on the ground floor atrium of the Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL) in Marrakech. Titled Lluvia (Rain) (2019) by Colombian artist Daniel Otero Torres, the work acts like a waterfall with water travelling across the structure until it fills up the basin from which it emerges. It stems from the artist’s encounter the Emberá community, on the banks of the Atrato River, where he was studying their system for recycling rainwater. Torres’ work is a meditative reflection on one of the world’s principal concerns: The scarcity of basic needs.
The white and raw sugar installation at Lugar a dudas, Colombia is by Felipe Arturo and Tropico Entropico. (Supplied)
This strange fountain is the first work you encounter as you enter “Have You Seen A Horizon Lately?” the museum’s latest exhibition curated by Marie-Ann Yemsi, exploring a collection of stories by a global group of artists hailing from Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Latin America investigating subject matter related to post-colonialism, feminist discourse, the environment and gender. The exhibition’s title bears the same name as a song by activist-artist Yoko Ono and illustrates participating artists’ reactions to the increasingly precarious socioeconomic conditions of today’s world. Featured artists include Brazilian Maxwell Alexandre, Emirati Farah A- Qasimi, Columbian Felipe Arturo, Moroccan Amina Benbouchta, French Gaëlle Choisne, Nigerian Rahima Gambo, Japanese Akira IKezoe, Angolan Kiluanji Kia Henda and French-Canadian Kapwani Kiwanga.
The installation on manila paper is by Maxwell Alexandre. (Supplied)
At the helm of MACAAL are Moroccan art collectors and father-and-son duo Alami Lazraq and his son Othman Lazraq, who serves as the museum’s president.
“We have done eight exhibitions at MACAAL and all of them were international shows, but this one in particular was important as it allows the museum to reinforce its position as a global museum where the dialogue engaged goes beyond the African continent and its diaspora,” said Othman. “In the exhibition are works by brilliant artists from Africa, such as homegrown Amina Benbouchta and Rahima Gambo, yet presented alongside equally talented peers from further afield. We want the artworks to transcend national borders.”
This installation is by French artist Gaëlle Choisne. (Supplied)
All works, spanning the mediums of photography, painting, and large-scale multimedia installation, respond to predictions of the world’s imminent collapse with the belief that new realities can be nurtured through collective transformation.
0 التعليقات:
إرسال تعليق