UP TO AND INCLUDING MONDAY 10 APRIL. Step into an immersive experience at the intersection of reality and fantasy worlds. In the Black Fantastic shows seductive, exuberant and colourful works by eleven contemporary artists from the African Diaspora. With boundless imagination and technical virtuosity, the artists are addressing racism and social inequality. Inspired by folklore, myth, science fiction, spiritual tradition, and
Afrofuturism, they are imagining new worlds and possibilities.
Soundsuits
In the Black Fantastic presents an exciting mix of painting, photography, video, sculpture, and installations. The exhibition includes Nick Cave’s legendary Soundsuits, works from the Watery Ecstatic series by Ellen Gallagher, combining myth and the history of the trans- Atlantic slave trade, and Wangechi Mutu’s compelling video work The End of eating Everything, depicting the monstrous nature of mass consumption.
Fantastical power
The artists reshape stories from the past and think about what the future might look like. At the same time they are dealing with the societal challenges of the present. Chris Ofili, for example, created a new version of Homer’s Odyssey featuring a Black Odysseus. The artist Hew Locke encourages you to look at commemorative statues in a different way: his equestrian statues seem to have escaped from a dystopian landscape. And in her multi-layered series of self-portraits, Lina Iris Viktor combines influences from, among other things, classical mythology, West-African textiles, and Aboriginal painting. Discover new narratives and experience the fantastical power of In the Black Fantastic!
Curator Ekow Eshun about In the Black Fantastic
The writer and curator Ekow Eshun brings together two generations of artists in this exhibition: Nick Cave, Sedrick Chisom, Ellen Gallagher, Hew Locke, Wangechi Mutu, Rashaad Newsome, Chris Ofili, Tabita Rezaire, Cauleen Smith, Lina Iris Viktor, and Kara Walker.
Collaboration
‘In the Black Fantastic’ is realised in collaboration with Hayward Gallery in London. A small selection of reactions to this exhibition from the British press:
The Evening Standard - ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
“Unlikely to be a better show this year”
The Guardian - ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
“Eleven contemporary artists inspired by Afrofuturism consider possible futures with a hopeful, fizzing energy”
Press
See also
Exhibition partner
Catalogue In the Black Fantastic
The lavishly illustrated English-language catalogue In the Black Fantastic will accompany the exhibition. The book features an introduction by curator Ekow Eshun, and various in-depth essays. Apart from paying attention to the artists featured in the exhibition, the book also zooms in on the Black fantastic as a cultural phenomenon, for instance in music, film, and literature. Available at the Kunsthal Shop.