1st Biennial of Contemporary Art
One of Africa’s great cities, Lagos, will hold its 1st Biennial of Contemporary Art from October 14 to December 22 2017.
The Lagos Biennial will be curated by an international team consisting of Amira Paree, a Paris-based Egyptian/Dutch artist, Perpetuum Mobilε, a curatorial platform co-directed by Ivor Stodolsky and Marita Muukkonen which brings together art, engaged practice and enquiry, and Folakunle Oshun as Artistic Director.
It is expected to attract over forty artists from at least twenty countries (within and without Africa) and will be sited in at least six locations throughout the Lagos megapolis.
“Living on the Edge” is the theme.
The Biennial will explore the experiences of artists in crisis situations and promises to expand as much as possible the idea or concept of “edge”.
The organizers have indicated that the event will eschew Afrocentric ideologies. This posture adopted by the organizers is progressive and well informed as Africa’s borders have always been porous.
The medieval world included significant interaction across the Mediterranean to Europe and the interior of Africa and Asia.
The European Renaissance was also influenced by encounters and exchanges with Africa, Asia and the Ottoman Empire. This made the Renaissance a “remarkably international, fluid, and mobile phenomenon”.
Folanke Oshun, the Artistic Director explained that, “Historically, Lagos was essentially one massive toll gate owing to its geography along the Atlantic and a vibrant port which made it a significant trade route in the West African region. A culture of endless taxation (existed and) which still plays out in the most informal and unregulated forms”.
He continued, “This history has somewhat shaped our realities – the bottom line at the end of the day remains that everybody has to get paid.
To me this is a severe type of confinement, where you cannot do anything about your situation because of informal financial structures that are beyond you – hence an endless cycle of hustling which has become a culture”.
A concurrent academic conference will be held at the University of Lagos. It is expected that given the rich commercial activities, cultural history and tapestry of Lagos, the Biennial will position Lagos as a hub for contemporary art practice.
The Akete Art Foundation has been established as a non-profit primarily to organize and host the Biennial. Supporting organisations include the Ford Foundation and the German Federal Government.
By Nii B. Andrews
(02/08/2017)