Constitution Hill in association with Afropunk is putting together an exceptional proudly African exhibition
JOBURG – Constitution Hill and Afropunk have come together to give a platform for African creatives to retell their own stories.
Constitution Hill in association with Afropunk has come together to bring some entertainment to Johannesburg during this festive season.
The partnership promises some very exciting and engaging exhibitions including the world-renowned, groundbreaking music festival, Afropunk on 30 and 31 December.
Read: Exciting Afropunk event now includes Johannesburg
The partnership, which includes a collaboration with the Amacreatives, will host A New Black – a multimedia group exhibition and dialogue, focusing on the individual voices of seven upcoming contemporary artists. The exhibition will show how these artists employ their artistic agency to engage with and interpret the colonial narrative that forms part of their history.
Amacreatives describe this movement as “a call for an artistic protest, a creative riot, to reimagine new definitions of blackness”.
“It’s a disruption of the status quo; a defiance of stereotypes that continue to shape and frame ideas around blackness. A New Black is thus, the emergence of a unique calibre of black creatives aiming to shift perspectives on what it means to be a black artist in a constantly changing 21st century Africa.”
The showcase for creatives has been significantly aligned with the festival, celebrating creativity and freedom of expression within black communities all over the world.
Drawing inspiration from Ngugi(Ngu-gi) wa Thiongo’s call for a creative collective approach to claiming back lost identities, cultures, histories and languages of Africans, A New Black further echoes this notion of black pride.
For the exhibition, seven young contemporary artists were invited to contribute works which represent their identities and speaks to the theme of decolonising, recreating, reimagining, reflecting and rewriting their own identities in relation to the colonial heritage that continues to inform South Africa’s landscape.
Read: Afropunk will be coming to Johannesburg
Artists who were selected include Zandi Tisani, Sindiso Nyoni, Loyiso Mkize, Zanele Mashinini, Leeroy Jason, Zac Modirapula, and Yolanda Mazwana. DJ Kenzhero, well-known for his proudly African music will also participate in the exhibition, entertaining guests with his neo-Afrocentric sounds.
The exhibition opening will also be accompanied by a dialogue where speakers will engage with the audience, expressing their personal definitions of what it means to be a black artist in a country with a brutal history of colonialism and apartheid.
Date: 14 December 2017
Time: 6.30pm
Venue: Old Fort Atrium, Constitution Hill, 11 Kotze Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg
Charge: Free Entrance
Parking: Level C basement parking, Joubert Street entrance), Constitution Hill
