Kunsthalle Krems has opened up its centre for a group exhibition from now till April 10, 2023. The group exhibition, titled ‘The New African Portraiture, Shariat Collections’, will bring together a generation of leading African artists.
The Kunsthalle Krems is the international exhibition centre for modern and contemporary art in Lower Austria. The centre focuses on contemporary art and emphasizes its interdisciplinary and progressive orientation.
Curated by Ghanaian-British art expert, writer and curator, Ekow Eshun, the centre will host over 20 exhibiting artists from the African continent and across the diaspora. They will focus on examining the questions of identity, aesthetics and art history. To invite compelling conversations about how the Black body is often misunderstood or ignored in the Western painting tradition.
Works from the private collections of art collectors and brothers, Amir and Shahrokh Shariat will complement the exhibition.
Here are some of the exhibiting artists and some of their fantastic work:
- Ghanaian painter Cornelius Annor (b. 1990) is most widely known for his group portraits that depict intimate, domestic settings where his figures portray everyday living.
Image courtesy of Artsy
Follow Cornelius Annor here.
- Crystal Yayra Anthony (b. 1997) is a Ghanaian artist that aims to deconstruct society’s clichés and expectations of gender-related behaviour.
Image courtesy of Artsy
Follow Crystal Yayra Anthony here.
- Atsoupé (b. 1986) is a Togolese artist whose portraits on paper seem to summon spirits, establishing a survival between the past and the future.
Courtesy of 1-54 Contemporary
Follow Atsoupé here.
- Souleimane Barry (b. 1980) is from Burkina Faso. He considers his work experimental — the fruit of his imagination influenced by his daily life. He is fond of creating a rich patchwork of memories, symbols, and fantasies.
Image courtesy of Artsy
Follow Souleimane Barry here.
- Tanzanian artist Everlyn Nicodemus (b. 1954) is known for using unusual materials such as found objects to explore the human experience.
Image courtesy of Artsy
Follow Everlyn Nicodemus’s agency here.
Other African artists that will be exhibiting include Jean David Nkot (b. 1989, Kamerun), Boluwatife Oyediran (b. 1997, Nigeria), Afia Prempeh (b. 1986, Ghana), Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe (b. 1988, Ghana), Eric Adjei Tawiah (b. 1987, Ghana), Tesfaye Urgessa (b. 1983, Ethiopia), Millicent Akweley (b. 2000, Ghana), Amoako Boafo (b. 1984, Ghana), Aplerh-Doku Borlabi (b. 1987, Ghana), Matthew Eguavoen (b. 1988, Nigeria), Bouvy Enkobo (b. 1981, Republic Congo), Turiya Magadlela (b. 1978, South Africa), Gastineau Massamba (b. 1973 in Republic Congo) and James Mishio (b. 1997, Ghana).
The exhibition will run till April 10, 2023.
