Trop Comprendre
by NEWS
From October 2-November 18, 2017, Sulger-Buel Lovell, London will present Trop Comprendre, a group exhibition featuring Georgina Maxim (Zimbabwe), Slimen El Kamel (Tunisia), Nú Barreto (Guinea Bissau), Vivien Kohler (South Africa), Christine Dixie (South Africa), Catherine Ocholla (Kenya/South Africa) and Soly Cissé (Senegal).
Curated by Andrew Lamprecht, the starting point for this exhibition comes from a statement made by Soly Cissé (whilst in recuperation for a serious operation) where the artist stated that sometimes he, as an African arts practitioner, felt that he ‘understood the world too much’ (trop comprendre le monde). This sense of weariness (and wariness) as well as the confidence that underscores the statement seems like an accurate representation of the feelings of many African artists today. In the choice and contextualisation of art for this exhibition, the curator will attempt to forge links between the history and legacy of African landscape, history and society with the challenges that Africans face in terms of the contemporary industrial landscape, and the social and economic conditions presented to those that trace their roots to the continent, wherever they may live.
Works appropriate to this exhibition will be in a variety of media and ask questions about the way that contemporary African artists navigate a space in which increased globalisation is rushing forwards. How do Africans situate themselves in this environment and what are the particular challenges and opportunities that we face? Works will engage with global political realities, the environment and inter-societal relations.
Do we, as Africans, ‘understand the world too much’? The aim of this exhibition is to demonstrate this understanding and our proactive responses to the challenges that the world in the 2010s present and the future that our continent offers in 2020 and beyond.
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