SIR ZANELE MUHOLI,

ANGELE ETOUNDI ESSAMBA & LINDOKUHLE KHUMALO

1-54 LONDON 2021

CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN ART FAIR



14 - 17 OCTOBER 2021

1-54 held its eighth edition in the difficult context of the coronavirus pandemic, once again at Somerset House.


This year, 36 international exhibitors from Europe, Africa and North America presented more than 110 works in the physical and online version of the fair. For the first time, the fair has partnered with Christie's to run a simultaneous digital fair, opening it up to a wider range of exhibitors - those who may not wish to travel due to various restrictions.


This exhibition proposal entitled « Identity[z] » articulates around three artists : Sir Zanele Muholi, Lindokuhle Khumalo and Angèle Etoundi Essamba. The three of them are questioning the notion of Identity through their artistic practice(s). In this trio, Muholi appears like an unifying personality and a hyphen between the two other artists.

Makhosonke, 2021, acrylique sur toile, 150x120 cm


PAINTINGS BY SIR ZANELE MUHOLI



Most known as a photographer, the visual activist Sir Zanele Muholi has been a multidisciplinary artist for a long time. As a practical response to confinement, Muholi continues their work of introspection by exploring the multiple identities and politics of Black LGBTQ people in South Africa through a series of recent paintings.  Muholi proposes to reinterpret portrait painting, a genre of painting that historically represents the rich and powerful. Through this game of mirrors, Muholi decides to shed light on the notion of gender. The subject is no longer Muholi but their intimate essence and their non-binarity.





ANGÈLE ETOUNDI ESSAMBA



In her new series « Renaissance » that resulted in a photographic book of the same title, she presents a strong and genuine statement of eternal femininity.


She says : « I am fascinated by pleated, collars and lace in all their variety, because of their powerful visual imagery and their aesthetic appeal. These are symbols of dress with strong connotation, which represent a return to a certain nobility, elegance and extravagance, femininity, grace and radiance. I wanted to reinterpret and relay these symbols in a new context and reveal an African nobility that people tend to forget about ».


Makhosonke, 2021, acrylique sur toile, 150x120 cm
Makhosonke, 2021, acrylique sur toile, 150x120 cm


LINDOKUHLE KHUMALO



Lindokuhle Khumalo is an emerging artist part of the collective project Ikhono LaseNatali initiated by Sir Zanele Muholi in 2018. Khumalo’s art explores and brings awareness to socio-political topics and cultural issues within the African rural communities in particular. His work is basically an artistic reflection of the multi-layered social experiences, and a personal quest, exploring the current cultural values and partly visiting his Zulu spirituality.



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