When: closing in July 2018
Did you know that the Smithsonian's African Art Museum is the only museum in the entire country devoted to African art? That seems crazy to me, but I'm assuming it's true. It's a real shame, because I'm willing to bet most museums have some traditional masks or jewelry or carvings, but little if any contemporary works on display. And I love contemporary African art.
As longtime readers of this blog know, I'm a huge fan of Yinka Shonibare. My enthusiasm for him led me to seek out other contemporary artists from Africa, and I've been really impressed with their work as well. Jim Chuchu was previously unknown to me, but I like his videos, Invocations, now playing at African Art.
They are two very short films (you can easily watch them both in a visit) about identity. The first features words spoken and printed on the screen such as "I Am Not Your Son" and "I Am Not Your Blood." The question that I left asking was, "Who are you and who exactly are you rejecting?" Is this a universal cry of youth raging against an older generation that does not understand their experience, or is it more specific than that? Is it the anger of Africans against a world that refuses to respect them?
The second film involves a young man (I assuming the artist himself) with black smoke pouring out of his mouth. I'm not sure what I was supposed to take away from this, but I kept thinking of imperialist Victorians creating rail lines across the African continent to further their own enterprises.
Verdict: Intriguing videos, capable of many interpretations.
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