In this exhibition, we introduce unique works by artists from West and Central Africa, which were acquired by the museum following An Inside Story: African Art of Our Time, the exhibition held in 1995.
In the small display room, we also present works by the sculptor Yasuda Haruhiko, who died in January 2018.
African nations began to successively gain independence from around the 1960s, and despite confronting various difficulties, have undergone remarkable economic developments in recent years. When looking at the world of art, it is possible to observe the presence of numerous African artists who are engaged in actively producing works while each incorporating their complex and diverse historical / cultural backgrounds. Their works have come to attract attention in Europe and the United States since the early 1990s, with interests also rapidly increasing in Japan since the 2000s.
The Setagaya Art Museum has turned its attention towards Africa from early on, presenting a small solo exhibition with Ghanaian artist Saka Acquaye in 1989, followed by An Inside Story: African Art of Our Time in 1995, which focused on works by artists from West and Central Africa. Such exhibitions encouraged new perspectives on African Art in response to previous tendencies in Japan that centered on introducing its context through traditional masks and sacred statues, as well as primitive and tribal paintings.
Featured on this occasion are the works of nine artists, which were acquired by the museum following these exhibitions.
Exhibiting Artists (in alphabetical order of surname) :
Saka Acquaye (1923-2007) / Anapa (1962-) / El Anatsui (1944-) / Moustapha Dimé (1952-1998) / Sokari Douglas Camp (1958-) /Ablade Glover (1934-) / Abdoulaye Konaté (1953-) / Issa Samb (1945-2017) / Pascale Marthine Tayou (1967-)
The Setagaya Art Museum has turned its attention towards Africa from early on, presenting a small solo exhibition with Ghanaian artist Saka Acquaye in 1989, followed by An Inside Story: African Art of Our Time in 1995, which focused on works by artists from West and Central Africa. Such exhibitions encouraged new perspectives on African Art in response to previous tendencies in Japan that centered on introducing its context through traditional masks and sacred statues, as well as primitive and tribal paintings.
Featured on this occasion are the works of nine artists, which were acquired by the museum following these exhibitions.
Exhibiting Artists (in alphabetical order of surname) :
Saka Acquaye (1923-2007) / Anapa (1962-) / El Anatsui (1944-) / Moustapha Dimé (1952-1998) / Sokari Douglas Camp (1958-) /Ablade Glover (1934-) / Abdoulaye Konaté (1953-) / Issa Samb (1945-2017) / Pascale Marthine Tayou (1967-)
