The bull market for contemporary African art

https://goo.gl/HdsGos images
http://issuu.com/arttimes/docs/sa_art_times_september_2012/18

Meschac Gaba, Benin (b. 1961)

Meschac Gaba is perhaps best known for his Museum of Contemporary African Art, a travelling
exhibition inaugurated at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam in 1997. Created in the form of a nomadic
museum, Gaba’s extraordinary project consisted of 12 exhibition
rooms set up in various European art institutions over a period of five years in an ingenuous
attempt to create a space for African art. In 2013,
the Tate Modern purchased and showcased Gaba’s entire ‘museum’. With a natural talent for
expressing his ideas through the visual arts, Gaba’s museum depicted
subjects from fashion in the Summer Collection Room and food in the Museum Restaurant, to
excessive overproduction of food in the Draft Room. Employing local
craftsmanship with a European flair, Gaba’s works vary from paintings and ceramics to
installations using a range of materials such as paint, plywood,
plaster, stones and decommissioned bank notes.

Meschac Gaba, Souvenir Palace, 2010 © Julian Stallabrass/Flickr
Meschac Gaba, Souvenir Palace, 2010 | © Julian Stallabrass/Flickr

Kudzanai Chiurai, Zimbabwe (b.1981)

Exiled from Zimbabwe after fearlessly producing an inflammatory portrait depicting the
country’s infamous president Robert Mugabe, Kudzanai Chiurai, the first black recipient
of a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Pretoria, has become
an important figure in African art. Chiurai uses dramatic multimedia compositions to
confront the most pressing issues in the southern African region, from
government corruption, conflict and violence to xenophobia and displacement. Based in
Johannesburg, Chiurai’s work is brutally honest, challenging the status
quo and African governments through a mixture of digital photography, editing and printing,
painting, and, more recently, film. His latest work entitled
This is not Africa, this is us is a three-part exhibition involving video installation taking
place in Rotterdam and The Hague until 29 March 2014.


Kudzanai Chiurai Moyo II 2013 Ultrachrome inks on fiber paper 150 x 100 cm Edition of 10
Kudzanai Chiurai Moyo II 2013 Ultrachrome inks on fiber paper 150 x 100 cm Edition of 10 | Courtesy of Goodman Gallery

Nástio Mosquito, Angola (b.1981)

A multimedia and performance artist working across music, videos, spoken word and a capella
(singing without instrumental sound), Nástio Mosquito flirts with African stereotypes in western contexts. Often portraying himself as the central figure of
his art, Mosquito’s work makes powerful political and social statements, slightly
discomforting at a first glance, but stimulating meaningful reflection.
Past exhibitions include the 9 Artists exhibition (2013) at the Walker Art Centre in
Minneapolis, and Across the Board: Politics of Representation at the
Tate Modern in London in 2012. In a recent work, Mosquito declared, ‘I do represent, if
you are willing, the army of the individuals’ in line with his belief
in producing artwork not in isolation, but involving the community at large.

Watch Nastio Mosquito’s Desabafo de um Qualquer Angolano:

Julie Mehretu, Ethiopia (b.1970)

A key African artist of her generation with a growing international exposure, Julie Mehretu’s
large paintings draw on elements of aerial mapping and architecture. With an underlying
calligraphic complexity, Mehretu’s energetic art pieces
represent accelerated urban growth, and densely populated city environments and social
networks of the 21st century. Mehretu creates each painting by
adding consecutive thin layers of acrylic paint on canvas and then finishing it off with
delicate superimposed marks and patterns using pencil, pen, ink and
streams of paint. Mehretu’s work portrays a compression of time, space and place, independent
of historical significance. From constructivism and geometric
abstraction to futurism, Mehretu describes her paintings as ‘story maps of no location’
envisioning her work as imagined and abstract rather than realistic.

Julie Mehretu, Stadia Series
Julie Mehretu, Stadia Series | © Allie Caulfield/Flickr

El Anatsui, Ghana (b.1944)

One of Africa’s most influential sculptors, Ghanaian El Anatsui is at the forefront of
contemporary artists of his time and has received considerable international attention
for his sculptural experiments. A professor in the Sculpture
Department at the University of Nigeria and a prolific sculptor, Anatsui’s preferred
media are clay and wood, which he uses to create objects expressing
various social, political and historical concerns. In his later works, he has turned to
installation art and sewing processes. Using unconventional tools such
as chainsaws and power tools, he has reshaped and given new meaning to materials such as
railway sleepers, driftwood and aluminium bottle tops. In an interview,
Anatsui noted, ‘the amazing thing about working with these metallic fabrics is that the
poverty of the materials used in no way precludes the telling of
rich and wonderful stories.’


El Anutsai, Nukae (detail), 2006
El Anutsai, Nukae (detail), 2006 | Image courtesy of cliff1066/WikiCommons

Ibrahim El Salahi, Sudan (b.1930)

Often referred to as the godfather of African modernism, Ibrahim El Salahi has created
over five decades of visionary artwork, a sort of surrealist split between Arab and
African origins. Former diplomat and undersecretary of the Sudanese
Ministry of Culture in the 1970s, El Salahi was imprisoned for six months without charge,
having been accused of anti-government activities. An articulate and
avuncular figure, El Salahi has developed his own unique art history, pioneering on many
art fronts such as being one of the first artists to elaborate Arabic
calligraphy in his paintings and the first African artist to get a Tate Modern retrospective.
Elementary forms and lines dominated his early artwork, and
over the years his work has taken a meditative and abstract turn, with a strong emphasis
on lines, and use of black and white.

Self-portrait-of-suffering | © Ibrahim El Salahi
Self-portrait-of-suffering | © Ibrahim El Salahi

Sokari Douglas Camp, Nigeria (b.1958)

Nigerian-born Sokari Douglas Camp is one of the best female sculptors having broken into the
male-dominated field of sculpting in Africa, and belongs to the first generation of female
artists to have attracted the attention of the international art
market. Originally from a large Kalabari town in the Niger Delta, Douglas Camp’s work is
greatly inspired by Kalabari culture and traditions. Employing modern
sculptural techniques with the predominant use of steel, Douglas Camp creates large, semi-abstract
figurative works, adorned with masks and ritual clothing,
reflecting her close relationship to Nigeria despite having lived in London for many years
Douglas Camp has had numerous solo and group shows all over the
world and permanent collections of her work can be found in the Smithsonian Institution in
Washington DC, and the British Museum in London.

Sokari Douglas Camp, RSW bus & London Eye, Anita Roddick memorial | Courtesy of the artist
Sokari Douglas Camp, RSW bus & London Eye, Anita Roddick memorial | Courtesy of the artist

Abdoulaye Konaté, Mali (b.1953)

A prominent contemporary art figure in Mali, Abdoulaye Konaté artwork is a striking
combination of installation works and painting. After pursuing a degree at the National
Art Institute of Bamako, Konaté completed his painting studies in Cuba. Most
of Konaté’s large-scale work is based on textiles, a readily available and cheap medium
in Mali. Treating textiles as a limitless palette, Konaté dyes,
cuts, sews and embroideries scraps of cotton and traditional bazin fabric to produce his
signature monumental tapestries. Through his creative work, Konaté
conveys his thoughts on the political, social and environmental spheres and cultural
traditions in contemporary Mali. His major works have focused on the
political tensions surrounding the Sahel region, and, since the start of the millennium,
on the devastating impact of AIDS on Malian society.

Pouvoir et Religion (Power and Religion), Iniva (Institute of International Visual Arts)
Window commission, 2011, Textile | Courtesy of Kate Elliott, © the artist.
Pouvoir et Religion (Power and Religion), Iniva (Institute of International Visual Arts)
Window commission, 2011, Textile | Courtesy of Kate Elliott, © the artist.


Chéri Samba, Democratic Republic of Congo (b.1956)

A leading contemporary African painter, Chéri Samba’s paintings reveal his perception of
different facets of daily life in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the rest of the
African continent, with Samba himself as the main subject of his
paintings in later works. Samba started his career working as a billboard painter and a
comic strip artist, and gradually moved to painting on sacking fabric, as
canvas was too expensive. In his paintings, Samba began to use the comic style of
‘word bubbles’, a move that enabled him to include thought-provoking commentary
in his works. Recognised as the ‘Samba signature’, adding text was Samba’s innovative way of
encouraging people to take more time to study and understand
the meaning behind his captivating paintings.

Chéri Samba, Quelle Solution pour les hommes, 2001
Chéri Samba, Quelle Solution pour les hommes, 2001 | Image courtesy of African Contemporary
Gallery and the artist

http://issuu.com/arttimes/docs/sa_art_times_september_2012/18 click on that page to enlarge
By Lilian Diarra

In-depth chat with inspiring painter Ulrich de Balbian
inShare294

Who is Ulrich de Balbian and what do you do?

I am in my sixties, born of a German mother and Dutch-French father.

I lived and studied in a number of countries, including Great Britain, France, Germany and
Spain.I have doctorates in Philosophy and Theology and qualifications in Social Science
and Fine Art.When i was young I did sociological research
in South Africa, so I know certain areas, of this vast and very diverse (culturally and
geographically) country.I worked as an academic (philosophy, art
and world religions) so that I did not have to be dependent on the Art Industry for a living.

Through philosophy I reflected deeply on many aspects of existence, including culture and
more specially art, and the Western painting genre.

I specify Western as it is very different from the painting traditions from Asia, China,
India, Arabic countries, etc.

As social scientist and philosopher (I published fifteen books in that discipline, two in
theology and others) researched socio-cultural aspects of art , for example the code of
the discourse or socio-cultural; practice of Western Painting.

As well as the Art Industry and Market. Many people interested in art and artists do not
realize that the centre of the Art Market has shifted from the West (1) US, 2) UK, 3)
France, 4) Germany) to Asia (1)China, 2)Taiwan, 3)Hong Kong, 4) Korea,
5)Singapore). Major Art Fairs and Biennales are held in those countries and Private
Collectors built their own museums, as there used to be few national
museums as in the west. Those private museum collections can compare with the best
national Museums in the West.

I mention the art Market and Industry as I question the traditional system of commercial
galleries, auctions and the influence of billionaire collectors on the price of works of

art. I am a maverick and rebel as far as these things are concerned
and i am not allowing them to control my type of work. Too many artists, similar to the
rest of the popular entertainment industry, felt the need to produce
sensational work, so as to be noticed. I never was dependent on the art industry as I had
other spruces of income as academic. I retired at forty from that
so as to work full time on my art, and writing.

I have studios in South Africa, Spain and France.



How would you define your style or art?

The lengthy introduction above had a serious point. I wished to show that I question all
aspects of art, and especially painting. I intentionally choose to paint, in the Western
tradition, instead of working in the so-called New Media, creating
installations, performance art, ready made, etc. I think and hope that there still is
mileage in the Western tradition of painting.

I see my work as totally experimental and a kind of serious research. Not merely in a cerebral
or rational manner, but first of all on a sub-conscious level, exploring how we think about
objects, how we perceive them, etc

I work piecemeal, something like Wittgensteinian philosophers, exploring every detail of the
process of painting, bit by bit. Each of these bits are developed into a series of paintings.

I do not have one single style, but gradually discovered that I unintentionally work in series
(of 2, 3, 4, 5, etc). The only other artist I have come across who works in this manner is the
German Gerhard Richter. If someone wishes to understand my work
better they should study his work (as well as Paul Klee, Kandinsky and the ideas of the Bauhaus)
as he is my predecessor. I do not follow or copy him,
but work in the same tradition as he, and they, did.

It appears as if I do not have one single style and that my work – the different series – is
merely random, but this is not the case. The larger picture will reveal that my entire work
form one unit, in other words the seemingly random aspects, as in
Chaos Theory, will be shown to make more sense in the totality.

Given all the above, my questioning of all aspects of the discourse or socio-cultural tradition
of painting, the manner in which our minds (thinking, perception, etc), emotions and trial
consciousness operates – leads to what I termed New Styles,
a style beyond one and all styles.

My work has a deeply spiritual side. Not in the narrow meaning of the word as forming part of a
particular religion, but as tuning into the Ground or basis of existence of human beings, the
earth and the entire Universe. Or rather the many universes or
multi-verse, as scientists are expressing it.

All this might appear to be very abstract, but painting and the process of painting is something
totally concrete. But, by means of paint, brushes, etc I attempt to arrive more and more at
the (he)art of Creation, the underlying Ground or basis of
all of Creation, of the building blocks of the Universe. This has many similarities to the
research of scientists of phenomena that are not visible to the
human eye, but that can only be thought in complex mathetical formulae. By means of painting
I make Visible that what is until that moment, Invisible to
usual human thinking. Most people think in a dualistic manner (because they are socialized
like that), but the non-dual way tells us that the subject
who perceives, the object that is perceived and the process of perception is ONE whole
(all religions, contemplatives and those who meditate attempt to
arrive at this non-dual, direct way of perceiving,. or of being one/d with that what is
perceived).

I express the above like this in the context of looking at my work:

The human mind treats smaller paintings as if it is looking AT an object or a thing such as a
table or chair.

But larger works are experienced (like installations) as if one is part of them and participate
in them.

Now that you know this please do not treat these images as if they are just more objects or things
you look AT, but experience and participate in them.

I always express what I think abstractly in this kind of very concrete manner. And, by this
simple example the point of all my seemingly abstract talk suddenly comes together as something
very concrete, and thereby shows that matter (concrete
painting and the stuff a painting is made of) and the spirit (ual) is one – merely two
different ways of looking at the same thing. Two perspectives on the same
thing, like the two sides of a coin, or looking at a house from the front, the back, the sides,
above. All the different points of view contribute to one thing.
In the tradition of Abstract painting, Braque, Picasso and others tried to express this unity
of many perspectives in a certain manner. I explore and
express or do it in a different way.





What inspires your work?
I am first of all a painter for the sake of the Western tradition of painting. By this I mean,
if it were not for certain painters who existed before me and explored and developed this
tradition of painting, I would not have been able to think the way
I do, and explore the process of painting in the manner I am doing. I form part of this
tradition. To feel part of this tradition is what inspires me to
paint – over and over again. As Richter said: one must be passionate about doing this stupid
thing of being all alone most of the time because if one were
not passionate about it, then for adults to play around with paint, colours, etc would be
nothing but mere idiocy.

I paint because I must, I cannot not do it – like some people need to eat, drink, drive very fast,
I must paint. The last part of why is because, I paint for the handful; of serious painters of
every generation or century who also feel obliged to paint.
Therefore, first of all I paint for a few other members of the discourse or the interpersonal
(intersubjective) community of artists or painters, especially
those who are yet unborn. If I could add anything to the discourse of painting, explore,
question, modify and develop its interpersonal code,
then my life had some meaning. Of course, I cannot judge this and it will only be seen
more clearly, what and if anything, I did contribute to this discourse. I
suppose I, like all serious artists, have a certain aesthetic ideal and vision, and that
\ will be expressed as my work. If it is the case that anyone else find
anything in any of my work, well – that always astonish me. That is the cherry on top of
all the being alone, doubts, questionings, searches, and so on.

I think something does happen in or through my work, because I have come across a
number of people who react with: stunning, it pulls me endlessly into it; I must look
at it over and over again. That is what a good painting always did to me.
I had to look at a Klee, Twombly, and Richter etc, over and over again, and again
return to look at it.

It is as if one is hypnotized by it, one’s mind is blown away, one experiences or ‘sees’,
something, perhaps like the first day of the creation of the universe, like first seeing
one’s newborn baby – a bundle of massive potentials — for
good, bad, or whatever.




You are about to take off to the USA, why are you going there and what lead to this?
Someone entered a few of my works for a competition called ‘Artists Wanted’. If one
were to receive more than 777 “likes” one progress to the next round. In a few weeks
my site – http://monkagain.artistswanted.org/atts2012 – received more than
a 1000 visits and the necessary number of ‘likes’. The work of the winner will be shown
on the gigantic billboard at Times Square, New York. I am now
through to the final round and my work, with the work of other finalists will be shown
at a VIP party on bright LED screens (9 ft x 12 ft) located on Broadway
and 43rd Street. The Times Square Billboard Premier Event will consist of a number of
famous US singers and groups.

I will also be visiting two museums who wish to acquire my work.

What are you currently working on?
Like, every day – putting the last series behind me, and feeling my way, completely
open-minded, into the beginning of another series. Until I begin another series, I
am a bundle of dynamite fuse that has been lit, and that must find some way
to explode – like racehorse permanently at the beginning of a race.



What advice would you give young creatives looking to do what you do?
It is a very, very lonely road, do not do it for any external rewards. I do not mean
students who attend Art School with the purpose to obtain a degree, so as to get work,
but those few who realize that they must work in some area of art, they
have almost no choice in the matter – it is as if one is driven on. This is both a
curse and the greatest joy – to end up in the middle of creating something
that did not exist before, a new vision of the world, always nearer to the art, the
heart of Creation, the act of creating, but never close enough, yet.
Because, when one has finished, one must start all over again. In other words: be
prepared for work, endless work, and always questioning what you have done
and what you are doing. It is something very mundane, totally concrete, and forget
about glory, fame and other rewards – those things are short lived and
pass quickly.

Where can our readers follow your work?
I mostly place my work on online galleries, as that requires little time. I no longer
have time or an interest in spending a lot of time to organize an exhibition, and
online galleries reach the entire planet instantly –

My work can be seen here:

www.newstylesgallery.info

www.gallerygoodman.com

and

http://www.artmajeur.com/?go=pages/top/list_artists_top100

There are more than 55,200 artists on the above site and for some reaching I am mostly number
one in popularity, and daily receive between 1000 – 3000 visitors.

Find me on FACEBOOK and TWITTER

A few people have recently made videos of some of my work for YOU TUBE –

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xD7tC8Hmjpk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hfo1UsSL58

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW7b72aRj94




Interview with Contemporary Artist Andrew Cooper
sa-creative-copy1-600x400 copy copy copy
May 22, 2015
Heinrich Filter- Sculpture in silver and bronze
7 Comments

Reply
June 19, 2012
+Pablo Manuel

Sr. de Balbian uses the colours in the most “sorprendente” style.
I’ve never seen such mixture of colours in perfect harmony.
He is the best modern painter of our generation.
Good luck, dear Ulrich
+Pablo Manuel
Reply
August 31, 2012
myra erickson

This was a fabulous interview with spectacular pix…the 3 dimensionality of the paintings
was great. the paintings leaped off the picture plane. thankyou so much for sharing..i am
glad to see such wonderful talent here on art on google. Never stop creating!
Reply
November 24, 2012
cecilia du toit

dear ulrich
nice to have read about you you seem very much interested in both the cosmos and micro
cosmos that is how i see your work an inspirational reading for you would be pythagoras to
wake the mathematical mind…great work regards cecilia from namibia
Reply
July 13, 2013
Ulrich de Balbian – Interview with images | ulrichdebalbian

[…] http://sacreativenetwork.co.za/2012/06/in-depth-chat-with-inspiring-painter-ulrich-de-balbian/ […]
Reply
July 26, 2013
Olga Baudilia Peralta

Urich de Bailan, muy buenas obras en cuanto a armonía en el uso del color,.distribución
en el espacio y , movimiento, en varias obras. Gracias –
Reply
September 20, 2013
K53 learners test

Great..
Well done for the views on the content In-depth chat with inspiring painter Ulrich de Balbian |
SA CREATIVES.
They have already been extremely effective. I really enjoyed
browsing your write-up..
Reply
May 27, 2014
Kleber Auad

I like that. Amazing, Wonderous and Blissful colors,

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http://africancontemporary.com/



LINKSspacer

AFRICA REMIX - contemporary african art touring exhibition

DAK'ART - african contemporary art biennale

SAVVY CONTEMPORARY - lab of conceptual, intellectual, artistic and cultural development and exchange

ART AFRICA

HOUSTON MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

JEAN PIGOZZI - contemporary african art (CAA) collection

The GULBENKIAN FOUNDATION - the next future - dedicated to research and creation in Europe,
Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN ART- SMITHSONIAN

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION LIBRARIES: MODERN AFRICAN ART: basic reading

CONTEMPORARY AND - platform for international art from African perspectives

THE GUARDIAN - guardian africa network

http://contempafricanart.com/



We are a gallery that exclusively shows contemporary African fine art. Operating for over 20
years, we serve individuals, corporate clients and museums that are seeking to expand their
knowledge and or collections of contemporary fine art. Most artists
we show have established reputations in Europe and other parts of the world; however, we are
always looking for the undiscovered promise of emerging artists.
The number of individuals the gallery represents now totals over 30 artists from all African
regions.

The Work on exhibit is as diverse as the countries from which it originates: contemporary
sculpture in stone and wood, oil paintings, pastels, etchings, ink drawings, limited editions
prints, collage and installations.

Artists see, foresee, criticize and tell tales about the deepest feelings of their societies.
As a gallery, we attempt to use the artist's eye to show us this continent about which we know
too little. — Bill Karg, Director

Contemporary African Art Gallery is a member of the Private Art Dealers Association. www.pada.net

Some Quotes from The New York Times:
"Contemporary African Art Gallery is a domesticated alternative space. It helps browsers
visualize how the pieces will work in their own homes."
"While innovative sites have helped transform the art scene from Los Angeles to New York, few
dealers have done what the Kargs did: create a permanent alternative in their home."
"The Group Show at the Contemporary African Art Gallery: Modern painting from Africa, rarely
seen in this part of the world, is one of the highlights of 'The Short Century' at P.S. 1.
And anyone interested in sampling more of it should head to this
gallery's group show, which includes several artists also in the larger show."


http://www.afr.com/lifestyle/arts-and-entertainment/art/the-bull-market-for-contemporary-african-art-20150609-ghjtz0


by Chris Kay

In his two-acre compound walled off from the chaotic din of the Nigerian commercia
l hub of Lagos, Yemisi Shyllon is struggling to fit the country's largest private
art collection in his 20 rooms.

The 63-year-old Yoruba prince, who's been collecting since he studied engineering at
the University of Ibadan, has more than 7,000 works crammed into his house and leafy
garden, home to porcupines, a catfish pond and free roaming peacocks.
As demand and prices for contemporary African art continue to rise, Shyllon is now
worried about keeping thieves out.

Spurred by a wealthy elite and increased recognition of Africa's artists, average lot
prices at Bonhams have increased about fivefold to $US50,000 since the London-based
auction house, founded in 1793, started specialized sales of contemporary
African art eight years ago. Shyllon now plans to establish a private art museum in
Lagos.

"African art is a bull market and one's investment is liable to return a handsome
profit, and certainly the past eight years have demonstrated that," Giles Peppiatt
, a director at Bonhams, said in a presentation at the Alara contemporary
design store in Lagos. "Nigeria has certainly led the way in this revolution with
the artists and prices that have dominated the results coming from Africa."

After a client consigned works by Nigerian artist and sculptor Ben Enwonwu
eight years ago, Bonhams put them in a sale of regular paintings, and one sold
for more than 20,000 pounds ($US30,670), Peppiatt said.
'Lightbulb Moments'

It was "one of those lightbulb moments" that got Bonhams to start Africa-only
auctions, he said. About 50 percent of the buyers are from the continent.

Nigerians increasingly see art as a "status symbol and investment," Shyllon
said in an interview in his presentation room filled with paintings and
sculptures. "It will get much, much bigger and then it becomes dangerous for
people like me to keep works of art in my house."
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http://www.nkajournal.org/