“We are enough”, an artistic journey in eight chapters in Paris

Works by Modou Dieng Yacine, which notably make up the “Renaissance” chapter of the “We are enough” contemporary art trail. SAID YILMAZ

Aesthetic alterity, abundance of proposals and plurality of spaces. About 500 m², the 193 Gallery and the Carole Kvasnevski gallery, in Paris, present “We are enough”, a journey in eight chapters bringing together the creations of eleven artists. The exhibition probes African societies and their diasporas. As a call to deconstruct prejudices.

“Because black peoples are worthy throughout the world despite the weight of history, points out Roger Niyigena Karera, curator of the event and co-founder of Afirika Artfest. But it must be kept in mind that African nations are still in many economic difficulties. There is a long way to go and the solution will come from us, the black people, in collaboration with the rest of the world. »

“Like a beautiful book whose pages we skim”

To address such a vast theme, it was necessary to work on a narrative that was easy for visitors to understand, “like a beautiful book whose pages one reads, with clear transitions, visually and emotionally, without any imposed chronological order or importance”says the curator.

Each artist must respond to a specific statement that fits into the overall message. The first chapter, “Awareness”, is represented by the works of Joana Choumali and Modou Dieng Yacine. Originally from Abidjan, in the Ivory Coast, the first studied graphic arts in Casablanca. His paintings depict a dreamlike universe, as if to ward off the violence of the world.

• “She Who Dreamed Too Much” by Joana Choumali. Courtesy of 193 Gallery

• « We Inter-Are », de Joana Choumali. Courtesy of 193 Gallery

• « The Forgotten Ones », de Modou Dieng Yacine. Courtesy of 193 Gallery

• “Sketches of war”, by Modou Dieng Yacine. Courtesy of 193 Gallery

• « Massa and Maids, Hout Bay », de Zanele Muholi. Courtesy of Galerie Carole Kvasnevski

• « Cwazimula ISGM Boston », said Zanele Muholi. Courtesy of Galerie Carole Kvasnevski

• « In Full Bloom », série « Camo », de Thandiwe Muriu. Courtesy of 193 Gallery

• « Her Everlasting Legacy », série « Camo », de Thandiwe Muriu. Courtesy of 193 Gallery

• « Summer Break A Vibe », d’Evans Mbugua. Courtesy of 193 Gallery

• « Memories from Last Summer and Other Stories », d’Evans Mbugua. Courtesy of 193 Gallery

• « Every Breath I Take Without Your Permission Powers My Self-Esteem », d’April Bey. Courtesy of 193 Gallery

• « Why are you gay _ Who says I’m gay _ YOU ARE GAY », d’April Bey. Courtesy of 193 Gallery

• “The Torn Ups” by Willow Evann. Courtesy of 193 Gallery

• « The Visitor III », de Ken Nwadiogbu. Courtesy of 193 Gallery

• « Just like in the Movies », de Ken Nwadiogbu. Courtesy of 193 Gallery

• “The meeting of delegates”, by Cédric Tchinan. Courtesy of 193 Gallery

• « La purification 3 », de Cédric Tchinan. Courtesy of 193 Gallery

• « Untitled », d’Abe Ogunlende. Courtesy of 193 Gallery

• « Moment Not Shared », d’Abe Ogunlende. Courtesy of 193 Gallery

• « New Yoruba », d’Alexis Peskine. Courtesy of Galerie Carole Kvasnevski

• « Xhosmogony », d’Alexis Peskine. Courtesy of Galerie Carole Kvasnevski

A graduate of the fine arts of Dakar and the San Francisco Art Institute, the second was born in Saint-Louis, Senegal, and presents a series dedicated to skirmishers, mixing in particular black and white period photographs and acrylic paint, “a way of reclaiming my African identity, of recreating a language and a positive vision of the history of the black man, slave or soldier, migrant or marginal”.

The chapter “Multiple Identities” highlights the work of South African photographer Zanele Muholi, currently exhibited at the European House of Photography (MEP), in Paris, until May 21. His work is, in his own words, a business “visual activism” intended to give visibility, which is almost non-existent today, to Black lesbians, gays, bisexuals, trans, queers and intersex people.

Read also: Contemporary art: Abidjan exhibits its sweetness at the 193 Gallery in Paris

Thanks to the “Self Acceptance” section, Thandiwe Muriu and Evans Mbuga, both born in Nairobi, Kenya, advocate a force of evidence: no one chooses their skin color or their origin. The first offers feminine photographic portraits saturated with colors and strange fabrics. ” eyeglasses “, at the limit of the trompe-l’oeil. The second pays homage to his contemporaries, of whom he paints joyful portraits in lively tones, “by collecting moments lived with family or friends with my camera. Then I document these memories in my studio by painting on Plexiglas, by weaving the textile”.

Works by Evans Mbugua, which notably make up the “Self Acceptance” chapter of the “We are enough” contemporary art trail. SAID YILMAZ

With April Bey, from the Bahamas, we enter an Afro-futuristic world for the chapter “We are who we are”. Works with sometimes generous dimensions that combine American and Bahamian visual culture with contemporary pop culture, bursting with colors and materials. An imaginary universe where everything seems possible.

Reflection of a common colonial history

In the “Renaissance” stage, Modou Dieng Yacine and Willow Evann reaffirm the importance of recognizing the past to better understand the future. Originally from Ivory Coast and living in Ile-de-France, the second is a visual artist, dancer and photographer. His works presented – two sets composed of multiple squares of wood partly printed with portraits of black people – reflect a common, colonial, African and French history: “My origins, my identity and my journey as a black man from the Ivorian diaspora are recurring themes in my work. And I’m very attached to the organic aspect, to handling living materials like wood. »

Read also: Contemporary art: a beautiful book to contemplate the work of Omar Ba

The last three chapters complete the journey. “Dreams”, with the Nigerian Ken Nwadiogbu, offers a utopian vision of migration or even exile. The young autodidact questions the modes of representation of black people through intriguing installations. And as a gentle beginning to the conclusion, “Safe Place” presents very expressive works by the Ivorian Cédric Tchinan and those with a visual language that seems simplified by the Nigerian Abe Ogunlende.

Works by April Bey, composing the “We are who we are” chapter of the “We are enough” contemporary art trail. SAID YILMAZ

The last stage, “Unity and Pride”, features paintings by Alexis Peskine. Born in 1979 in Paris into a family of Russian and Afro-Brazilian origin, the artist creates large portraits of people from African diasporas. With a very special technique: nails of different sizes are driven with extreme precision into wood stained with coffee, earth or bissap, and by applying gold leaf to the heads of these nails, amazing composite images are born. . “I choose people whose physical envelope inspires positive things in me. I photograph them and rework their images so that they become entities. I transform the image into dots like in screen printing and I replace these dots with eight kinds of nails”says Alexis Peskine.

For César Lévy, founder and director of the 193 Gallery, this exhibition allows “presenting a diversity of mediums – painting, photography, tapestry, wood carving, painted cardboard… – and sensibilities in order to show the richness of African scenes, some of which are still undervalued, by constantly renewing our proposal. The gallery aims to fight preconceptions, to discover new emerging artists and to deconstruct many prejudices ». With “We are enough”, the objective seems to have been achieved.

« We are enough », exhibition curator Roger Niyigena Karera, at the 193 Gallery (21 and 24, rue Béranger, 75003 Paris) and at the Carole Kvasnevski gallery (39, rue Dautancourt, 75017 Paris), until May 27.

Olivier Herviaux