„Wiem skąd pochodzę”. Współczesna sztuka afrykańska – tradycja i tożsamość

Abstract

In the 60’s, at the end of the colonial era, artists of Africa embarked on a path of self-identification. In 1966, Lepold Sedar Senghor organized “Premier Festival Mondial des Art Negres – The First World Festival of Black Arts” in Dakar to initiate the dialog on that topic. The first event of such scale in Africa brought artists, intellectuals and politicians from the continent and diaspora. The participants, Aime Cesaire among them, called for a return to traditions and for the reaffirmation of the “negritude” as a condition for further development of the African Arts. The event was accompanied by a grand exposition “L’art negre. Sources, evolution, expansion”, staged by an international team directed by George Henri Riviere. The continuation of the presence of the African Art on the international art scene in the postcolonial times is the Dak’Art – “Biennale de l’Art Africain Contemporain”, This year’s Biennnale is curated by Simon Njami who in 2005 presented the most important and comprehensive exhibition of the African Art to-date “Africa Remix. L’Art contemporain d’un continent” at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. The presenting artists, like El Anatsui or Romuald Hazoume, are members of the international art world. Their works are added to the most significant modern collections and their output, based on their own traditions and contemporary artistic expressions, are part of the greater visual culture of modern times.