AFIRCAN ART AND THE ART MARKET ON A GLOBAL INTERNATIONAL SCENE

 In my final presentation I would like to talk about the market for African Art in the international scene. As an artist, interested in the cultural and tribal component of Africa, I am drawn in creating works touching on such issue.First of all I think that it is important to define what African Art is. African art is art that was used and valued for its functionality, its decorative and symbolic designs, as well as its spiritual connotations all while embodying the aspects of aesthetic qualities to form a complete whole.

 Over the years African artists have grown to intertwine contemporary context into the traditional African art system, making it very effective to the new world.  The problem here is there is no market for it, most of these very expressive and great works rich in culture and context are not even known to the public. There isn’t much publicity going on. I know that in years to come there is going to be a boost in the African art on a global scene, but my concern is how is it going to affect African art and artist.

 I have not found many African artist on the international scene but few, who are doing well, however, I my concern is in this presentation is to research if there is an interest in African art at all.  If so, what are the possible ways of proposing this move to the international scene? Are the people of Africa, first of all interested in the works being made by their own people? Because if they are not why should they expect other people to admire the works; charity, they say begins at home. In “what is African art? Support notes for teachers” it is said that Art historians acknowledge that an appreciation of art is enhanced by understanding the purposes for which things were made and used and the social and cultural contexts which give them their aesthetic and symbolic value.  For Western art we might want to go beyond the values which the artists themselves proclaim to consider, also the social role of the galleries and other places where it is displayed.  And in a world now dominated by the values of the market, perhaps we should also acknowledge the market value which plays such an important part in our judgments of African as well as Western art. It is for this reason that Picasso drew inspiration from African tribal art. He regretted that the Western tradition lost touch with the primordial sense of image-making as a magic operation

 http://madmuseum.org/press/releases/global-africa-project-explores-impact-african-visual-culture-contemporary-art-craft

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK6qZuHBbmI

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=gQYcbYJRYbo

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dt9-drWHUc&feature=related

 http://ncartmuseum.org/calendar/event/2012/02/19/lecture_looking_at_african_art_in_the_21st_century/

 http://www.international.ucla.edu/calendar/showevent.asp?eventid=8393

 http://www.international.ucla.edu/calendar/showevent.asp?eventid=8390


El Anatsui
Danu

2006

Aluminum & Copper Wire

200 x 300 cm

Chazen Museum, Wisconsin University, USA

What is African Art?

  • History
  • Purpose- functionality
    • Aesthetic
    • Types of African art

Has African Art reached a Contemporary level

  • How do people in Africa embrace their art
  • How do they tend to express the content in their work
  • Is there a market for contemporary art in Africa to begin with

Which people are involved in contemporary Art

  • Artist
  • The government
  • Galleries
  • Museum

 African Artists Already on the international scene

  • El Anatsui
  • Yinka Shonibare
  • Wangechi Mutu
  • William Kentridge
  • Berni seale
  • Ibrahim El Salahi
  • Sokari Douglas Camp
  • Ablade Glover
  • Ato Delaquis

What is the Potential for young coming African artist

  • Which people are supporting them
  • What shows have they locally been in
  • Have they any exposure to the outside networking

What the international art world think of and see African art

  • Is the meaning of the work going to be the priority or the value
  • Do they find it easy to relate to issues being represented in the works
  • Is the culture, values and tradition of African art fully understood on the international level.
  • Which people are going to buy it
  • No labels

1 Comment

  1. Cheryl Finley

    Dear Kwame, your expanded outline is much improved and more closely focused. I'll be interested to read your work and analysis of the artists and questions you pose. Good luck!