African art has always been "defined, written and determined by Western historians and curators". With Africa Remix coming to Joburg, that is set to change.

THE wine flowed, guests smiled and laughed, officials made speeches, the weighty catalogues sold wildly - but much more importantly, Africa Remix opened at the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG).

Le Monde vomissant (The vomiting world) by Cheri Samba

Just as with the opening of The Lion King earlier this month at the new Montecasino Teatro, something distinctly African opened in Africa for Africans on Sunday, 24 June.

For the next three months Joburgers, and South Africans, can enjoy 137 works of art from 85 African artists from the continent and the diaspora, at probably the greatest gallery in Africa.

"There are many reasons why it is important for Africa Remix to take place on the African continent," says JAG curator Clive Kellner in the preface to the catalogue.

He explains that historically, major exhibitions have taken place in Europe and the US, and as a result African art has been "defined, written and determined by Western historians and curators".

"The ability to control the content and the way it is translated and ultimately perceived is not in the hands of Africans," he adds. Now, with the opening of this exhibition and visits by the artists whose work is exhibited in the show, dialogue around African art will be localised. "Africa Remix will hopefully become a resource or a text around which discussions about African art can take place."

Kellner sees a further significance to the exhibition’s opening in South Africa. "Given the scale of the works on display, the impact on audiences in South Africa should translate into increased awareness and discussion about this country's role in Africa, as well as the need for sustained intercultural relations."

From Germany
The exhibition opened for the first time in 2004 in Dusseldorf in Germany, and toured to London, Paris, Tokyo and Stockholm. It has taken Kellner a year to raise the funds to bring it to Joburg.

It is curated by Simon Njami, who describes in an essay in the catalogue how African art has long been silent. "On a continent where voice is a privileged means of expression, creativity does not speak. Or long refused to. This silence might have been an act of defence and timidity, a sign of the stupor which the world kept on producing with its speeches and machines."

But with the opening of this exhibition, that silence has been broken. The art, which encompasses painting, sculpture, installation, video, drawing, photography and design, has something for everyone, and Africa speaks loudly, brightly and colourfully.

At the opening, all the speakers told guests how proud they were to be associated with the exhibition. "Africa is one continent, but it has diversity in thought, art and culture," said Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa.

The founding director of Business and Arts South Africa, poet Mandla Langa, said: "The arts are as essential as breathing. We would be a nation of housing and taps without the arts."

Standing in for the executive mayor, the mayor committee member for community development, Nandi Mayathula-Khoza, said: “I have had the pleasure of looking at some of the work here and, even though the show is so complex that it demands a second and even a third visit, I can already start to experience the richness of the work, and the fusion of cultures, societies and politics that is so integral to Africa’s contemporary culture.”

She spoke of the role of arts and culture, particularly in defining a nation’s identity. “Arts and culture are essential in giving hope and opportunity to young people.”

Panel discussions
Five panel discussions are to be held throughout the exhibition, the first one scheduled for Tuesday, 26 June, and chaired by Njami. All the details of the discussions are available on the Africa Remix website

There is a full-colour South African edition of the catalogue, available at the gallery and at major bookstores. A CD-rom, featuring interviews with the curator and 24 artists in Joburg, is also available.

Africa Remix is at the Johannesburg Art Gallery until 30 September. The gallery is on King George Street, Joubert Park, and is open on Tuesdays to Sundays, from 10am to 5pm. Entrance is free.

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