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The exhibition Making Africa – A Continent of Contemporary Design is taking place in Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain until February 21st, 2016. It showcases exhibits of 120 artists and designers coming from a diverse range of creative fields, such as object and furniture design, graphic arts, illustration, fashion, architecture, urban planning, art, craft, film, photography, digital and analogue approaches. Its goal is to show how a new generation of Africans is giving the world a fresh perspective on their continent.
The world, and particularly Africa, is transforming
The world is changing with this generation: politically, economically, socially, culturally and technologically.
“Especially at Africa, where the changes are very evident,” the exhibit description says. “Spearheading this shift is a new generation of thinkers and makers whose multidisciplinary output proposes innovative solutions for the continent and the rest of the world – while simultaneously turning our traditional understanding of design on its head.”
The exhibit does not try to present a full picture of design in Africa:
“Comprising 54 nations, more than 2000 languages and cultures and a billion inhabitants, the continent is simply too large, too complex and too diverse. What the exhibition offers instead is a new story, one perhaps not yet known. It is one possibility among many for looking at Africa and an invitation in this regard to embrace a wholly new perspective.”
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Stunning photography
Senegalese photographer Omar Victor Diop’s likes to feature personalities from his country, like artist Mame-Diarra Niang shown here.
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Wearable art
Kenyan artist Cyrus Kabiru creates items out of discarded objects. This piece is part of his series using wearable spectacle sculptures. It is meant to challenge the way we look at things – referencing how Africa is often be perceived negatively.
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Modern architecture
British architect David Adjaye shares his design for a new pavilion for the transport hub at Park Station in Johannesburg. It combines modernity while referencing the history of the station.
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A haunting short film
Kenyan filmaker Wangechi Mutu’s short film The End of Eating Everything is featured in the exhibit. The film critiques consumerism by showing a monstrous being, portrayed by singer Santigold, eating a swarm of birds until she implodes and gives birth to numerous female heads.
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Capturing the spirit of youth
Photographer Mario Macilau from Mozambique captures the spirit of the youth in his country’s capital, Maputo. This photo showcases a young man dressed in a hip and contemporary fashion.
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Sharp tailoring
This print celebrates the work of tailor Ikire Jones. It sets a well-dressed man who is described as a tailor’s apprentice who wants to make clothes for the citizens of a new Africa. The background is Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria, 60 years in the future.
SEE ALSO: A Moroccan Visual Artist Creates Mind-Bending Photographic Art.
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