CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN ART

"In recent decades of the XX century, the prevailing optimism of liberation times in Africa has been replaced by the realities of life – social, economic, and ecological problems related to demographic processes. Identity searches, emerging parallel to independence movements, are also gaining momentum.

Today, amidst strong processes of globalization, migration, and cultural exchange, Africa is experiencing rapid social, political, economic, and cultural transformation, although due to a lack of knowledge, stereotypes and myths about Africa are still alive, and it is often presented as a homogeneous entity. However, African identity is multi-layered, and it is impossible to write a single common history of Africa. In the exhibition, fifteen authors from six African countries address contemporary issues of identity and migration, racism and tolerance, peace and war in the modern world. They challenge widely held stereotypes about the 'uncivilized' continent, change the classic Western perspective, and create and tell a new story about Africa."

Dr. Vilma Gradinskaitė | Dr. Karina Simonson

Curators of the exhibition "Contemporary African Art: Dreams and Realities of Identity" (LNDM, 2022).