AFRICA FORECAST Fashioning Contemporary Life September 15 – December 3, 2016
GERMAN, JEAN-LOUIS, SOPHIE ZINGA, YOUNGBLOOD
#SpelMuse20
AFRICA FORECAST: Fashioning Contemporary Life is an original multidisciplinary exhibition that explores how 20 women artists and designers from Africa and of African descent shape, imagine, and redefine the influence of fashion on everyday life. Drawing bold inspiration from trends in African style, this exhibition carefully considers a blend of overlapping perspectives about fashion. First, it considers how fashion is an ever-changing global marketplace. Secondly, it explores the unique ways that fashion informs the artistic practice and lives of contemporary artists. Finally, it examines the ways that Black women, who reside throughout the African Diaspora, use creative practices to fashion their behavior and construct their lives. The women artists in AFRICA FORECAST promote an aesthetic of renewal as they transmit—through the lens of fashion—performance art, avant-garde, and experimental strategies. The discourse of fashion, in the context of the exhibition, acts like a genre, a style, or category in which the artists amplify their identities to communicate their truths. The exhibition underscores that fashion and design are not created in a vacuum. Featured works highlight how the artists communicate, through their work, the relentless stimulation, innovation, and objects of fascination that stir their practices. Featuring photography, garments, performance, video, painting, and sculpture—15 of which are presented here for the first time—AFRICA FORECAST offers interdisciplinary and poetic coverage of style and widespread approaches to dress, socialization, and activism. The exhibition provides a vibrant snapshot of the current mood, lived experiences, and distinct socio-cultural perspectives of the featured artists who are highly engaged, connected, and global citizens. AFRICA FORECAST: Fashioning Contemporary Life commemorates the 20th anniversary of the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art. EXHIBITION CURATORS Andrea Barnwell Brownlee, Ph.D. Erika Dalya Massaquoi, Ph.D.
Firelei BÁEZ Joana CHOUMALI Bethany COLLINS Vanessa GERMAN Ayana V. JACKSON Fabiola JEAN-LOUIS Marcia KURE MADAM WOKIE MIMI PLANGE Zanele MUHOLI Wura-Natasha OGUNJI Toyin OJIH ODUTOLA Zohra OPOKU Ebony G. PATTERSON Jessica SCOTT-FELDER Amy SHERALD SOPHIE ZINGA Lina Iris VIKTOR Brenna YOUNGBLOOD Billie ZANGEWA
#AfricaForecast
EXHIBITION CHECKLIST
Firelei BÁEZ (b. 1981, Dominican Republic/Lives and works in New York) Pendant (de Benin, Granada y el Cibao), 2016 Acrylic on paper 84 x 56 inches Of Love Possessed (lessons on alterity for G.D. and F.G. at a local BSS), 2016 Acrylic on paper 71 x 56 inches Both courtesy the artist and Gallery Wendi Norris, San Francisco Joana CHOUMALI (b. 1974, Côte d’Ivoire/Lives and works in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire) Untitled, 2015 – 2016 iPhone photographs on vinyl originally posted on Instagram Dimensions variable Courtesy the artist Bethany COLLINS (b. 1984, United States/Lives and works in Atlanta and Chicago) Bound, 1982, 2015 American Masters paper and Pink Pearl eraser Dimensions variable Fine, 1982 II, 2016 Graphite and toner on American Masters paper 30 x 44 inches Mean, 1982, 2016 Graphite and toner on Somerset paper 30 x 44 inches All courtesy the artist and Richard Gray Gallery, Chicago, IL
Vanessa GERMAN (b. 1976, United States/Lives and works in Pittsburgh) man in the moon biscuit box or, journey from the 5 dimension, alla my homies along for the ride, 2014 Doll parts, decorative boat, information on the middle passage and the trail of tears in my bones, in my bones i say!, souvenir figurines to put on your mantel place to let alla your black friends know that you’re down with the cause—or have been to Africa—or, at least willing to acknowledge the present presence of Africa—what kind of negro are you? moon faced party noise maker, made in japan chicken on the head, skateboard, mirror, the migration of the human soul as told by the entire human genome, decorative bird, paddles for the journey, stars in the night skies, blood done signed my name, by timothy tyson, holiness riding down through my fingertips, tar, plaster, plaster gauze, mike browns’ brown body, so many things to, “get-over”, rhinestone for eyes, red, white, blue, black pigment, cowrie shells, 2 open mouths as handles to get a grip on this piece, wood, pain, rage, cloth, twine, the inclination to just. rise up, and fly, homewood beads 50.5 x 25 x 15.25 inches Courtesy the artist and Pavel Zoubok Gallery, New York Play Things, 2014 Black face bottle opener, the shape of getting on to go on, the power of the creative spirit reflective in the liberating hairstyles of young black women, racism, the pain of living with injustice and being always expected to just smile, and take things, and make nice, and act like since we all know that it exists—it’s just ok, porcelain figurines, skate, carved wood foot as ashtray, propellor, black box turned upside down, american flag made into tiny doll clothes, cowrie shells, mop head as petticoat, button christmas ornaments as hair adornments, liberty through everyday creative expression, love. love. love and more love 38 x 10 x 18 inches Courtesy the artist and Pavel Zoubok Gallery, New York Deliah on the Plane or Cabbage Slicer, 2012 old baby doll body, tar, red and white and black paint, bird salt and pepper shaker, cabbage slicer, iron on of Delia the slave, hot iron, rage, nails, wood, plaster gauze, wood glue, fire in her eyes, small print of the holy mother on her back, meanness, clarity, how much pain to be quantified, the legacy, the legacy, the legacy 32 x 17 x 15 inches Courtesy the artist and Pavel Zoubok Gallery, New York The Story of American Pictures, 2013 Mixed media assemblage 43.5 x 18 x 21.5 inches Collection of Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey H. Lynford, New York, NY THE BLACKS (Alexius Diana), 2015 Inkjet print on archival paper 40 x 60 inches Courtesy the artist and Pavel Zoubok Gallery, New York
THE BLACKS (Alexius Diana), 2015 Inkjet print on archival paper 60 x 48 inches Courtesy the artist and Pavel Zoubok Gallery, New York THE BLACKS (Essence), 2015 Inkjet print on archival paper 48 x 60 inches Courtesy the artist and Pavel Zoubok Gallery, New York Ayana V. JACKSON (b. 1977, United States/Lives and works in New York, Paris and Johannesburg, South Africa) Stella, 2016 Archival Pigment Print 51.2 x 29.9 inches Aina, 2016 Archival Pigment Print 51.2 x 29.9 inches Both courtesy the artist and Gallery MOMO, Johannesburg, South Africa Fabiola JEAN-LOUIS (b. 1978, Haiti/Lives and works in New York) Amina, edition 2/15, 2016 Archival pigment print 29 x 28.5 inches Bonbons, 2016 Handmade paper sculpture 58 x 43 x 26 inches Madame Beauvoir’s Painting, edition 3/10, 2016 Archival pigment print on hot press bright paper 33 x 26 inches Madame Leroy (le-wah), edition 3/10, 2016 Archival pigment print on hot press bright paper 33 x 26 inches Marie-Antoinette is Dead, (edition 1/10), 2016 Archival pigment print on hot press bright paper 38.5 x 50 inches All courtesy the artist and Alan Avery Art Company Marcia KURE (b. 1970, Nigeria/Lives and works in Princeton, New Jersey) Yanka, 2016 Polyester, cotton, rug, and wool 144 x 120 inches Courtesy the artist and Susan Inglett Gallery, NYC
MADAM WOKIE (established in 2009, Freetown, Sierra Leone) Nya Jei Salone (Mende for “Mama Sierre Leone”), Spring/Summer 16 16.54 x 19.69 inches Courtesy the artist MIMI PLANGE (b. 1978, Ghana/Lives and works in New York) Crewneck Sheath Dress, Spring Summer 2013 Lambskin Leather with Quilting and Trapunto Embroidery 44 x 16 inches Combo Mock Neck Sheath Dress, Autumn Winter 2010 Satin Gabardine with Trapunto Embroidery and Lambskin 44 x 16 inches Mock Neck Sheath Dress, Spring Summer 2016 Lambskin Leather with Trapunto Embroidery 44 x 16 inches All courtesy the artist Zanele MUHOLI (b. 1972, South Africa/Lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa) Muholi, Muholi, Amsterdam, 2014 Silver Gelatin Print 19.69 x 12.4 inches © Zanele Muholi, Courtesy the artist and Yancey Richardson Gallery Zodwa1 Amsterdam, 2015 Silver Gelatin Print 9.5 x 6.75 inches © Zanele Muholi, Courtesy the artist and Yancey Richardson Gallery MaID, Harlem, African Market, 116 ST (New York), 2015 Silver Gelatin Print 19.5 x 17 inches Collection of Noel Kirnon and Michael Paley Wura-Natasha OGUNJI (b. 1972 United States/Lives and works in Austin, Texas and Lagos, Nigeria) Strut, 2016 Single-channel digital video 5:51 minutes Courtesy the artist
GERMAN, MIMI PLANGE, SHERALD, MADAM WOKIE, PATTERSON, OJIH ODUTOLA
#SpelMuse20
KURE, PATTERSON
#AfricaForecast
Toyin OJIH ODUTOLA (b. 1985, Nigeria/Lives and works in New York) Actual Fiction, 2016 Charcoal, pastel and pencil on paper 24 x 19 inches LTS VIII, 2014 Charcoal and pastel on paper 57 x 55.13 x 2 inches LTS II, 2014 Charcoal and pastel on paper 28.5 x 34.5 x 1.5 inches All courtesy the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York Zohra OPOKU (b. 1976, Germany/Lives and works in Accra, Ghana) Rhododendron, 2015 Pigment print on HahnemĂźhle Photo Rag 57.9 x 43.3 inches Ficus Carica, 2015 Pigment print on HahnemĂźhle Photo Rag 57.9 x 43.3 inches All courtesy the artist Ebony G. PATTERSON (b. 1981, Jamaica/Lives and works in Kingston, Jamaica and Lexington, Kentucky) Trunk, Stump, and Dominoes, 2014 Mixed media hand embellished jacquard woven tapestry with fabric flowers and dominoes 9 x 6.8 feet Courtesy the artist and Monique Meloche Gallery Jessica SCOTT-FELDER (b. 1981, United States/Lives and works in Atlanta) Adornment, 2016 Performance October 19, 2016 Courtesy the artist
Amy SHERALD (b. 1973, United States/Lives and works in Baltimore, Maryland) Fact was she knew more about them than she knew about herself, having never had the map to discover what she was like, 2015 Oil on canvas 54 x 43 inches Collection of Yvonne Cook Freeing herself was one thing, claiming ownership of that freedom was another (red hair), 2015 Oil on canvas 54 x 43 inches Collection of Pamela K. & William Royall, Jr. SOPHIE ZINGA (established in 2012, Dakar, Senegal) Petaaw, Spring/Summer 2016 Neoprene 34.7 x 27.6 inches Zinga, Summer 2016 Cotton Brocade Tie & Dye “Tioub� 30 x 38 x 59 inches Both courtesy the artist Lina Iris VIKTOR (b. 1987, England/Lives and works in New York) Constellations I, 2016 Pure 24-Karat gold, acrylic, gouache, print on matte canvas 84 x 60 inches Constellations II, 2016 Pure 24-Karat gold, acrylic, gouache, print on matte canvas 84 x 60 inches Constellations III, 2016 Pure 24-Karat gold, acrylic, gouache, print on matte canvas 84 x 60 inches All courtesy the artist Brenna YOUNGBLOOD (b. 1979, United States/Lives and works in Los Angeles) BRICKHOUSE, 2016 Acrylic, spray paint, and wall paper on canvas 72 x 62 inches Courtesy the artist and Honor Fraser Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Billie ZANGEWA (b. 1973, South Africa/Lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa) The Dreamer, 2016 Silk tapestry 54.3 x 50 inches Courtesy the artist and Afronova Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa
JEAN-LOUIS
#BeYourOwnMuse
CHOUMALI
CALENDAR OF PROGRAMS Join us for a season of programs that are inspired by the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art’s mission and AFRICA FORECAST: Fashioning Contemporary Life. All programs are held in the Museum unless other noted. Artists Talk + Opening Reception Thursday, September 15, 2016 | 6:30 p.m. An Artists Talk program moderated by co-curator Erika Dayla-Massaquoi, Ph.D. with three featured artists in AFRICA FORECAST: Vanessa German, Fabiola Jean-Louis, and Ayana V. Jackson followed by the Opening Reception.
Yoga in the Museum Mondays, September 19 – November 28, 2016 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Enjoy a yoga class surrounded by works of art, and engage in a practice that focuses on balance, focus, and strength. A dynamic group of certified yoga instructors will lead the following classes:
September 19 and 26
Chelsea Jackson-Roberts Yoga for All Bodies
October 3 and 10
Vanya Francis Mindful Meditative Flow
October 17
Aba Bailey Release and Renew
October 24 and 31
Ayodele Murphy Love Joy Movements
November 7 and 14
Rachelle Knowles Alignment-Based Slow Flow
November 21 and 28
Zahra Alabanza A Moving Meditation
Yoga in the Museum is free and open to beginner and experienced yogis alike. Yoga mats and water will be provided. Space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please contact us at 404.270.5607, museum@spelman.edu, or @spelmanmuseum on Twitter with questions and for more information. Yoga in the Museum is made possible with support from
Community Conversations Wednesday, September 28, 2016 | 6:30 p.m. Asia Leeds, Assistant Professor of International Studies and Co-Director, African Diaspora Studies, Spelman College
Designing Diaspora: Refashioned Black Womanhood in the Art of Fabiola Jean-Louis Dr. Leeds will discuss the ways women of African descent articulate diaspora and womanhood through fashion, style, and adornment using the work and diasporic journey of AFRICA FORECAST artist Fabiola Jean-Louis as the point of entry. Community Conversations are opportunities for the public to connect their interests to the works of art on view with an audience. Previous Community Conversations have included dance performances, spoken word pieces, lectures, videos, and musical performances. This program is organized in partnership with the African Diaspora and the World Studies, Spelman College.
Adornment A Performance by Jessica Scott-Felder Wednesday, October 19, 2016 | 6:30 p.m. AFRICA FORECAST artist Jessica Scott-Felder will perform Adornment, an original interactive work that is informed by the standards of dress, beauty, and comportment that influenced how Spelman College students behaved and dressed from the 1920s through the 1960s. A conversation with Anne Collins Smith, Curator of Collections, Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, and Holly Smith, College Archivist, Spelman College, follows.
SpelHouse Day Party Friday, October 28, 2016 | 3:00 p.m.– 5:00 p.m. Celebrate Homecoming and join alumni from Spelman College and Morehouse College for the annual SpelHouse Day Party. Guests are also invited to take interactive tours of the Museum of Fine Art’s current exhibition AFRICA FORECAST: Fashioning Contemporary Life. There will be music, fun, and so much more. This program is organized in collaboration with the Spelman College Office of Alumnae Affairs.
Artist Guides Artist Guides is a series of weekly public tours led by Georgia-based Black women cultural producers. A dynamic group of creatives will lead tours on the following days: Cynthanie Sumpter Fashion Designer Friday, November 4, 2016 10:00 a.m.
Kwajelyn Jackson Cultural Producer Tuesday, November 22, 2016 10:00 a.m.
Tamara Natalie Madden Visual Artist Saturday, November 12, 2016 2:00 p.m.
Grace Kisa Visual Artist Tuesday, November 29, 2016 6:30 p.m.
Jerushia Graham Visual Artists Tuesday, November 15, 2016 6:30 p.m.
3 + 1: Chisholm ’72: Unbought & Unbossed Monday, November 7, 2016 | 6:30 p.m. Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby, Ed.D., Academic Center Auditorium Intentionally scheduled on the eve of Election Day, this 3 + 1 screening celebrates Shirley Chisholm’s run for President of the United States. Chisholm, the first Black major-party candidate and the first woman to run for this office, not only inspired others with her “sheer will and refusal to accept the status quo,” but also through her rallying cry to “exercise the full measure of your citizenship and vote.” 3 + 1 is a community film screening and discussion program. Three film experts with diverse (and oftentimes conflicting) perspectives are featured with one empty seat for a member of the audience to occupy and participate in the dialogue. This program is organized in partnership with the Ethel Waddell Githii Honors Program, Spelman College.
BLACK BOX Revisited: Nicole Mason Wednesday, November 9, 2016 | 6:30 p.m. Former BLACK BOX artist Nicole Mason returns to share the completed version of her newly released memoir, Born Bright: A Young Girl’s Journey from Nothing to Something in America. A conversation with Spelman students about race, class, gender, and sexuality and a book signing follow. BLACK BOX is a site for play, dialogue, and creative risk taking that encourages artists of all disciplines to engage with others connected to their subject matter. Each program affords the opportunity for cultural producers to share in-progress works on the art and culture of the African Diaspora in front of a live audience for feedback, engagement, and encouragement. It also provides a space for arts enthusiasts to view compelling work from some of the most exciting and thoughtprovoking artists working today. This program is organized in partnership with the Ethel Waddell Githii Honors Program, Spelman College.
Artists Talk Wednesday, November 30, 2016 | 6:30 p.m. An Artists Talk with AFRICA FORECAST artists Firelei Báez, Mimi Plange, and Lina Iris Viktor moderated by Kristin Juárez, Graduate Assistant, Spelman College Museum of Fine Art and Doctoral Candidate, Moving Image Studies, Georgia State University.
VIKTOR
#AfricaForecast
AFRICA FORECAST: Fashioning Contemporary Life is made possible by
Additional support provided by the Fulton County Commissioners under the guidance of Fulton County Arts & Culture.
For more information about the Museum’s 20th Anniversary, AFRICA FORECAST: Fashioning Contemporary Life, public programs, and upcoming exhibitions see museum.spelman.edu. africaforecast.tumblr.com #SpelMuse20 #AfricaForecast #BeYourOwnMuse
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Firelei BÁEZ, Of Love Possessed (lessons on alterity for G.D. and F.G. at a local BSS), 2016, Acrylic on paper, 71 x 56 inches. Courtesy the artist and Gallery Wendi Norris, San Francisco.