There and Back: Africa

The exhibition features five generations of African artists who have penetrated international circuits in recent years and have been instrumental in deciphering the vast variety of representations and forms of expression found in Africa. The work of Frédéric Bruly Bouabré (b. Côte d'Ivoire, 1924) serves as the springboard for launching this dialogue between local and global.

The existence of different communities, religions and social and artistic manifestations, as well as the dichotomies of past and present, tradition and modernity, are all represented in African art. We also find evidence of the mass emigration which, after World War II and coinciding with the rise of a new African middle class, became a continent-wide phenomenon.

This show invites visitors to undertake a two-way journey, from south to north and back again, and examines the possible similarities and differences between the work of artists who emigrated and those who remained, allowing us to re-evaluate our perception of all things African.

The artists featured in this exhibition are: Amma Bouras, Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, Mbongeni Richman Buthelezi, Soly Cissé, Viyé Diba, Modou Dieng, Moustapha Dimé, Touhami Ennadre, Frances Goodman, Romuald Hazoumé, Bodys Isek Kingelez, Abdoulaye Konaté, William Kentridge, Moshekwa Langa, Otobong Nkanga, Marie Blanche Ouedraogo, Miguel Petchkovsky, Chéri Samba, Djibril Sy and Emeka Udemba.