Hallo Afrika!
Haugesund Art Association / Haugesund Art Gallery, 20 September 20 – October 20, 2013
Paintings on canvas and wall, as well as textile works
Hallo Afrika! is an exhibition which combine paintings on canvas and wall, as well as textile works The wall paintings are inspired by South Africa and Gambia, where mural art naturally integrates into daily life In Zululand, it is traditionally only women who create wall paintings, and these works depict family, tribal identity, and social status. In Gambia, murals also serve a practical function – they communicate everyday events to a large portion of the population.
The canvas paintings are mostly based on my own photographs, including one from a beach party in Cape Town, where the ritual “Welcoming The Waves” takes place every year on the first of january. My goal was to challenge the stereotypical view of Africa and offer a more nuanced, everyday perspective, showing motifs that might not be expected. A series of portraits that honor the African man through an art historical tradition is also a central part of the exhibition.
The architecture of Haugesund’s gallery is distinctive, with both anthroposophical and period-specific elements. I aimed to make visible interventions within the space that not only emphasized the architecture but also introduced new spatial dimensions to the exhibition.