TATE MODERN EXHIBITION
The first major exhibition of contemporary African photography at Tate Modern has proved hugely popular – you’ve got until January to see it. Amy Davies spoke with the curators to find out more
Photography from Africa is some of the most powerful and exciting you’ll see in the contemporary world.
A walk around A World in Common on the top floor of Tate Modern reveals some of the most interesting photographic work you’re likely to see at the moment.
The exhibition has been running for a few months, and pleasingly, it’s drawn in the crowds – so we can hope that we’ll see other similar exhibitions in the future at other Tate locations and major galleries.
To celebrate its success, I asked two of the curators who worked on the project – Genevieve Barton and Jess Baxter – to give us more insight into its inception, the concept and ambitions for the future.
AP: Why is now the right time for an exhibition like this?
GB: A World in Common: Contemporary African Photography is Tate Modern’s first exhibition exploring the diverse, ever-evolving field of African photographic practices. The show reflects the brilliant work being done by our Africa Acquisitions Committee. Spearheaded by our very own curator Osei Bonsu and Mercedes Vilardell, it has been instrumental in acquiring works that have played a fundamental role in A World in Common, and have also been fantastic additions to our collection as a whole. Tate Modern’s growing holdings of African art coupled with the vast exhibition spaces that lend themselves to celebrating the contributions of multiple artists with differing perspectives is exactly why the museum is the right place for the exhibition. It is a testament to the dedicated, boundary-pushing colleagues we work with, the unique architecture of the building and the vibrancy and creativity coming out of the African continent at present.
AP: How were the artists in the exhibition selected?
JB: It does not aim to tell one neat chronology of African photography. There are so many interconnected lives, contexts and experiences… how could this be possible? Instead, it brings together 36 artists who use photography to reimagine Africa’s place in the world. As curators, we are constantly researching artists from diverse and varied regions. These artists are from over 25 countries – from Nigeria to Madagascar, Algeria to Zimbabwe – but the exhibition does not seek to ‘represent’ each country. Rather, it aims to reveal the multiple perspectives and interpretations of themes like spirituality, studio portraiture and globalisation.
We were excited to display historic works ne
