The "We Face Forward" exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery, in the UK, will focus on West African art. The emblem of the exhibition is an artwork by Meschac Gaba. His flag is entitled "Ensemble" and combines all the West African nations with the the Union flag in a gesture of solidarity and friendship.
We Face Forward: Art from West Africa —
The "We Face Forward" exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery, in the UK, will focus on West African art. The emblem of the exhibition is an artwork by Meschac Gaba. His flag is entitled "Ensemble" and combines all the West African nations with the the Union flag in a gesture of solidarity and friendship.
Meschac Gaba
Nyaba Léon Ouedraogo's series "The Hell of Copper" documents a 10km waste site in Accra, Ghana where thousands of used computers and electronic goods are shipped from Europe and the United States.
"The Hell of Copper" —
Nyaba Léon Ouedraogo's series "The Hell of Copper" documents a 10km waste site in Accra, Ghana where thousands of used computers and electronic goods are shipped from Europe and the United States.
Nyaba Leon Ouedraogo
The young workers there are exposed to lead, mercury, cadmium and PVC plastic. Ouedraogo's photographs demonstrate "the profoundly troubling consequence of our constant search for the latest phone, fastest computer or new electronic gadget," according to the exhibition.
Toxic art —
The young workers there are exposed to lead, mercury, cadmium and PVC plastic. Ouedraogo's photographs demonstrate "the profoundly troubling consequence of our constant search for the latest phone, fastest computer or new electronic gadget," according to the exhibition.
Nyaba Leon Ouedraogo
Charles Okereke's series "Canal People" documents the Festac village settlement in Lagos state, Nigeria, a stretch of stilt houses built along the Festac canal.
"Canal People" in Nigeria —
Charles Okereke's series "Canal People" documents the Festac village settlement in Lagos state, Nigeria, a stretch of stilt houses built along the Festac canal.
Charles Okereke
Okereke's close-ups and super-saturated colours "turn the oily, polluted canal into a sparkling night sky and waste suspended in the canal's reflective surface is beautifully composed, very much like an elegant still-life," according to the exhibition.
Pollution as art —
Okereke's close-ups and super-saturated colours "turn the oily, polluted canal into a sparkling night sky and waste suspended in the canal's reflective surface is beautifully composed, very much like an elegant still-life," according to the exhibition.
Charles Okereke
"Jugement Dernier I" is one of Cameroon-born artist Barthélémy Toguo's many pieces in the exhibition. He is an incredibly versatile artist -- working not only in water colors but also with wood sculpture, installations, performances, photography, film, and drawings.
Man of many talents —
"Jugement Dernier I" is one of Cameroon-born artist Barthélémy Toguo's many pieces in the exhibition. He is an incredibly versatile artist -- working not only in water colors but also with wood sculpture, installations, performances, photography, film, and drawings.
Barthélémy Toguo
Making extraordinary sculptures out of ordinary materials, Australian born and Nigerian raised Nnenna Okore transforms old newspapers, rope, thread, yarn, burlap, dye, coffee, starch and clay into "dazzling abstract forms." Her methods include fraying, tearing, teasing, weaving, dyeing, waxing and sewing, according to the exhibition.
Making the extraordinary out of the ordinary —
Making extraordinary sculptures out of ordinary materials, Australian born and Nigerian raised Nnenna Okore transforms old newspapers, rope, thread, yarn, burlap, dye, coffee, starch and clay into "dazzling abstract forms." Her methods include fraying, tearing, teasing, weaving, dyeing, waxing and sewing, according to the exhibition.
Jonathan Greet
Playing with conceptions of African art, Pascale Marthine Tayou's "dolls" explore the artist's fascination and power that fetishes possess: "Carving masks and statues in crystal is my last chance to see into the 'mystery of Fetishes' ... I can't penetrate the African mask which, in spite of my efforts, seems endlessly unfathomable," she says.
The African mask —
Playing with conceptions of African art, Pascale Marthine Tayou's "dolls" explore the artist's fascination and power that fetishes possess: "Carving masks and statues in crystal is my last chance to see into the 'mystery of Fetishes' ... I can't penetrate the African mask which, in spite of my efforts, seems endlessly unfathomable," she says.
Pascale Marthine Tayou
In this photographic series Nyani Quarmyne documents the plight of the people living on the bank of the Volta river where it empties into the South Atlantic in Ghana. Rising sea levels and seasonal storms that pound the coastline mean that people's homes are being lost to sand and water.
"We Were Once Three Miles from the Sea" —
In this photographic series Nyani Quarmyne documents the plight of the people living on the bank of the Volta river where it empties into the South Atlantic in Ghana. Rising sea levels and seasonal storms that pound the coastline mean that people's homes are being lost to sand and water.
Nyani Quarmyne
Nyani Quarmyne took up photography in 2008 and has since gained a strong reputation as a documentary photographer focusing on social justice, humanitarian and environmental themes. Born in 1973 in India he now lives and works in Accra.
Documentary photography —
Nyani Quarmyne took up photography in 2008 and has since gained a strong reputation as a documentary photographer focusing on social justice, humanitarian and environmental themes. Born in 1973 in India he now lives and works in Accra.
Nyani Quarmyne