Artist and writer Rikki Wemega-Kwawu wrote the sixth Project ‘1975’ ‘The Politics of Exclusion’. In this essay Wemega-Kwawu criticizes the fixation on Contemporary African Diaspora artists and the powerful position of curator Okwui Enwezor.
The Nigeria-born American curator Okwui Enwezor is often acknowledged as the representative of African art and artists. The first Johannesburg Biennale in 1997 and the Documenta XI in Kassel in 2002, are just two examples of the many exhibitions he organized. With these presentations and publications on the topic of African art, Enwezor played a crucial role in the production of a definition of contemporary African art. Wemega-Kwawu criticizes this definition in his Project ‘1975’ essay, as he signalizes an ‘Enwezor School’: a group of African artists, now living in the West, that are preferred and circulated well above their counterparts living in Africa. Wemega-Kwawu argues that Enwezor hereby defines contemporary African art by the artists’ experience of Diaspora: “as if nothing worthwhile is happening on the continent”. By the maintenance of this definition African artists living on the continent, are hindered to enter the international art scene. Click here to download Newsletter 125 ‘Tala Madani – The Jinn’ and to read Rikki Wemega-Kwawu’s essay ‘The Politics of Exclusion’.
Rikki Wemega-Kwawu (Ghana, 1959) lives and works as an artist and writer in Takordi, Ghana. He is alumnus of the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Maine, U.S.A. In 2008, he was an Adjunct Professor in Art at the New York University – Accra, Ghana Campus, where he taught ‘postcolonial studio practices’.
the ague is that most of artists who live abroad go there to promote themselves because there is no much opportunity like artists in residency, workshops, gallery representation, seminars and high institution of learning art. all this pushes born africa artists to go out there and most of it all is when they are able to break through they mostly forget their roots , where they are coming from they dont used those connection, opportunity to move their various countries in Africa forward like inviting most of this curators, critics, museum, gallery owners to visit Africa to view new blood of talents.
i think the curator are doing their business by only focus on the developed, known artists and not searching for new up coming artists in Africa.
i belief there is no different in artists living abroad and those live in Africa the little gap is opportunity they enjoy where they live that make them rise above others in Africa. i will also ask for more review of artists and art by journalist in Africa it will help in exposed them.
Western women often faced the same challenges that African born artists currently face. It wasn’t until the culture of western society changed and accepted women more readily that we finally noticed a significant change. Once the cultural gaps in Africa close and opportunity for African artists becomes commonplace, change will happen. The internet is readily available to provide African born artists with a vehicle for exposure to their work.