Conquering The Canals: Sub-Saharan Africa’s Showcase at the 59th Venice Biennale

WORDS Graham Wood

The Olympics of the art world is back: we take a look at Sub-Saharan Africa’s showing at the 59th Venice Biennale.

After a two-year hiatus, the Venice Biennale has returned with a bang. The Biennale, which runs until late November, is nicknamed the “Olympics of art” because the work on show is displayed under national banners, and 80 countries have pavilions in three main areas. There are about 30 historic permanent pavilions spread across the large Giardini park, with more in the Arsenale, a historical complex of former military shipyards and arsenals (where the South African pavilion is located), and still others in the city centre. An international exhibition, woven throughout the venues, is curated by a guest curator. In 2022, Italian Cecilia Alemani is in charge, and has included 213 artists from 58 countries.

The Venice Biennale isn’t commercial, so participants are free to explore issues without the need to sell anything. It’s more about ideas and concepts, cultural dialogue and public discourse. It also provides an opportunity to take the temperature of the global cultural zeitgeist unlike any other art event in the world.

There are several private exhibitions peripheral to the main event, often with large shows dedicated to particular artists. This year, Anish Kapoor seems to have soaked up a large part of the limelight, and Marlene Dumas – who might not have lived in South Africa for many years but is still considered a South African artist – has a big exhibition at the Palazzo Grassi.

What about us?

Several countries in sub- Saharan Africa are represented this year. The international exhibition also includes artists from 12 African countries, although some of those artists are residents of the US, the UK and Europe.

Although the late influential Nigerian curator Okwui Enwezor, who perhaps more than anyone repositioned art from Africa as central to the global conversation, was the main exhibition’s curator in 2015, a large part of the Biennale’s history has excluded African art. South Africa participated in the 1960s, but was ostracised for nearly three decades, and only returned in 1993. Representation of other African countries has been, at best, erratic.

It is undeniable that, this year, black artists (and women) have a stronger-than-ever presence at the show. British artist Sonia Boyce’s solo exhibit at the UK pavilion has been recognised with a Best National Participation award, while the US’s Simone Leigh, who scooped the Golden Lion for the Best Participant in the International Exhibition, draws heavily on African influences.

Here is our roundup of key sub-Saharan African pavilions, and some related events worth noting.

South Africa

The theme of the South African national exhibition, “Into the Light”, was designed to complement the theme of the international exhibition (“The Milk of Dreams”), which explores the possibilities of artistic expression in the realms of fantasy and imagination. The South African national exhibition has an introspective flavour, concentrating on the search for self-discovery and personal truth. It includes three artists: veteran photographer and film-maker Roger Ballen; Joburg-based Lebohang Kganye, whose practice involves photography, theatre, animation, cuttings and installations/sculpture; and Phumulani Ntuli, a multidisciplinary artist who describes his work as based around fictional geographies, simulation, archive and representation. The three are linked by their often-autobiographical approach and interest in locating their works in otherworldly realms.

Uganda

Uganda’s debut pavilion received one of two special mentions at the Golden Lion awards for Best National Participation. Titled “Radiance, They Dream in Time”, it includes works by Kampala-based Acaye Kerunen and Collin Sekajugo. Acaye’s process highlights the work of local and regional Ugandan craftswomen, while Collin’s work is a commentary on the influence of Western culture.

Ivory Coast

The theme of the Côte d’Ivoire pavilion, “The Dreams of a Story”, seeks to highlight a new Ivorian creative generation’s capacity to merge – through art – traditions and innovations, memories, and dreams of a destiny to be built in the contemporary art landscape. The artists on show are Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, Aboudia (Abdoulaye Diarrassouba), Armand Boua, Yeanzi (Saint-Etienne Yéanzi), Laetitia Ky and Aron Demetz.

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s sixth appearance at the Biennale, titled “I Did Not Leave a Sign?”, includes works by Kresiah Mukwazhi, Wallen Mapondera, Terrence Musekiwa and Ronald Muchatuta. The exhibition explores alternative systems of knowledge, particularly with reference to Covid, and the inability of not just science and technology, but also religion, to offer answers in response to this moment in history. The art also delves into one of Zimbabwe’s most pressing issues: the effect of leaving one’s homeland and becoming part of the diaspora.

Cameroon

Inanotherfirst-timeparticipation,theCameroonianpavilionstoodapartforalsolaunchingnon-fungible tokens (NFTs) at the Biennale. The exhibition – “The Time of the Chimeras” – compares the work of four Cameroonian artists to that of four international artists, and aims to spark a dialogue around chimeras and possible utopias.

Ghana

The starting point of “Black Star – The Museum as Freedom” is the black star that’s synonymous with Ghana, its flag and even its football team. It’s also a symbol associated with Pan-Africanism and anti-colonialism in general – and for this show, it’s used as a hook to examine new constellations of freedom across time, technology and borders. The artists featured are Na Chainkua Reindorf, Afroscope (Nana Opoku) and Diego Araúja.

International Exhibition

This year’s international exhibition, “The Milk of Dreams”, is named after a book by surrealist artist Leonora Carrington. In it, curator Cecilia Alemani aims to address the following questions: how is the definition of a human changing? What constitutes life, and what differentiates plant and animal, human and non-human? What are our responsibilities towards the planet, other people and other life forms? And what would life look like without us? For the first time, the international exhibition is mostly made up of women and gender non-conforming artists. Among the 12 African artists taking part are South Africans Igshaan Adams and Bronwyn Katz, and Zimbabweans Portia Zvavahera and Kudzanai-Violet Hwami.

African Art in Venice Forum

The presence and participation of African art and artists at the Biennale is bolstered by the African Art in Venice Forum (AAVF) – a platform that promotes public appreciation and understanding of African art. The AAVF presents free talks and panel discussions.

Alastair Meredith, head of Strauss & Co’s Johannesburg art department (the sponsors of the AAVF), says it was gratifying to see how well-attended the events were. Despite the relatively small number of African pavilions at the Biennale overall, he believes that global interest in Africa is clear, and the AAVF did a brilliant job of focusing on the different aspects of the general art ecosystem in Africa. “We were proud to be part of it,” he says. “This kind of gathering allows art professionals from around the continent to meet and to learn from one another, and to build contacts so that they can collaborate over time. There is a sense of community when it comes to the African art world.”

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