Exhibition dates: September 30, 2008 – April 5, 2009
Location: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing
Press preview: Monday, September 29, 10 a.m. - noon
Africa's extraordinary legacy of textile arts, with its explosive color and complex graphic statements, will be presented at The Metropolitan Museum of Art beginning September 30. Bringing together more than 40 works dating from the early 19th century to the present – including a spectacular silk and cotton kente prestige cloth woven in Ghana during the 19th century and a 30-foot-long installation work by contemporary artist Yinka Shonibare – The Essential Art of African Textiles: Design Without End will highlight the enduring significance of textiles as a major form of aesthetic expression across the continent. While examining some of the finest and earliest preserved examples of different regional textile traditions, the exhibition will relate these to works by eight contemporary artists, who draw inspiration from textiles in their explorations of other media ranging from sculpture, painting, and photography to video and installation art. Works selected for the exhibition are drawn primarily from the collections of the Metropolitan and the British Museum as well as several private collections in the U.S. and Europe.
The exhibition is made possible in part by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Fred and Rita Richman, and The Ceil & Michael E. Pulitzer Foundation, Inc.
It was organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, in collaboration with the British Museum, London.
"Although the aesthetics of textiles essentially define Africa's cultural landscape, Western fine arts hierarchies have virtually overlooked textiles as an art form and have
favored sculpture from the region. We are seizing this opportunity to heighten awareness of this critical dimension of Africa's artistic legacy," said Alisa LaGamma, Curator in the Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. "In January the artist El Anatsui installed his eloquent and highly original creation Between Earth and Heaven that is now one of the highlights of our permanent collection. This fall we will be able to present that 21st-century work in conversation with one of the monumental textile genres that he pays tribute to through his new idiom of expression," she continued.
Dazzling textile traditions figured importantly in the earliest recorded accounts of visitors to sub-Saharan Africa, dating to as early as the ninth century. Historically textiles also constituted one of the primary commodities imported into sub-Saharan Africa, through trade routes that extended south across the Sahara from North Africa until the 15th century and subsequently by Europeans along the Gold Coast. Among the earliest documented examples of West African textile traditions were those collected by European textile manufacturers seeking new markets for their own exports in the 19th century. A significant collection given to the British Museum in 1934 consisted of the African textiles gathered in West Africa before 1913 by Charles Beving, who was a partner of a Manchester firm. More than a dozen of these works, which were gathered as part of market research to determine regional tastes, figure centrally in this exhibition.
The myriad distinctive regional traditions represented include the expansive monumental wool and cotton strip-woven architectural elements created in Mali and Niger; a rich range of deep blue indigo, resist-dyed textile genres produced in Senegal, Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon; textile panels composed and woven by Igbo
women and Yoruba men in Nigeria, to be wrapped around the body as apparel; and a series of the impressive voluminous robes and tunics that have been designed from
regional fabrics from Algeria to Nigeria. The techniques used to create these works will be examined along with the various cultural aesthetic criteria they embrace. Across this diverse corpus of works, certain overarching technical and formal approaches as well as aesthetic affinities will be explored.
Contemporary Works on View
These various examples of regional vernaculars on display will provide a foundation and points of departure for consideration of 16 works by contemporary artists who are conversant with this highly sophisticated visual language. Ghanaian kente will appear in relation not only to Anatsui's "metal tapestry," but also to the abstract works on paper by Atta Kwami (b. 1956, Ghana). The bold graphic patterns of Malian woven and industrially manufactured "wax prints" are central focal points of the black-and-white photographic portraits produced in the Bamako studios of Seydou Keita (b. 1921? – d. 2001, Mali) and Malick Sidibé (b. 1936, Mali). The longstanding interconnections between North and Western Africa are considered through a spectacular, densely inscribed Islamic protective tunic created by a Hausa artist from Nigeria during the 19th century and a series of the indigo dyed silk banners filled with the poetic textual prayers of a Sufi mystic from the installation work 7 Variations on Indigo by Rachid Koraïchi (b. 1947, Algeria). The transformative potential of textiles and the process whereby individuals selectively enhance and shape their identity through cloth defines the use of the classical textile genres featured and is addressed in both the imagery of the life-size figurative steel sculpture Nigerian Woman Shopping by Sokari Douglas Camp (b. 1958, Nigeria) and The Nightingale, a video by Grace Ndiritu (b. 1976, UK). Finally, the mural 100 Years by Yinka Shonibare (b. 1962, UK) considers the synergy between African textile design and that imported from outside, and how those distinctions have blurred and become
unrecognizable. This unique conversation between "contemporary" and "classical" forms of expression will establish the continuity between their aesthetics and enhance an appreciation of their content.
Education Programs
The exhibition will be accompanied by education programs designed for a wide range of audiences, including a talk by Doran H. Ross, Senior Research Scholar at UCLA, followed by a panel discussion on October 4 in the Bonnie J. Sacerdote Lecture Hall; a conversation with El Anatsui on the afternoon of November 9 in the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium; a Sunday at the Met lecture program on February 1; and a subscription lecture, "African Textiles," by Kwame Anthony Appiah, Professor of Philosophy at Princeton University, on October 24 in the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium. Information on these and other programs – including gallery talks, family programs, and films – will be listed on the Museum's website at www.metmuseum.org. The participation of contemporary artists in all of these events was coordinated and supported by the Grey Art Gallery and Africa House of New York University.
Publication and Organizational Credits
A publication produced by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Yale University Press will accompany this exhibition. Public programs including discussions with many of the featured artists will be organized by the Metropolitan.
The exhibition is organized by Alisa LaGamma in collaboration with Christine Giuntini, Textile Conservator, in the Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, with the generous cooperation of The British Museum. Exhibition design is by Daniel Kershaw, Exhibition Design Manager; graphics are by Emil Micha, Senior Graphic Design Manager; and lighting is by Clint Ross Coller and Richard
Lichte, Lighting Design Managers, all of the Metropolitan Museum's Design Department.
The exhibition will be featured on the Museum's website (www.metmuseum.org).
# # #
December 5, 2008
EDUCATION PROGRAMS
LECTURE/DISCUSSION
Saturday, October 4
Bonnie J. Sacerdote Lecture Hall
Crossing Paths, Bridging Genres: Textile Sources in Contemporary Ghanaian Art
Doran H. Ross, senior research scholar, The James S. Coleman African Studies Center, University of California at Los Angeles
2:00
Panel Discussion: Modes of Contemporary Expression in Africa (to 4:45)
Following the lecture is a panel featuring artists whose work relates to the exhibition and leading scholars in the fields of art history, history, and African studies. Alisa LaGamma, curator,
and Christine Giuntini, textile conservator, both of the Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, moderate.
Artists: Abdoulaye Konaté, Atta Kwami, Grace Ndiritu, Oyenike Okundaye, Duro Olowu, and Sue Williamson
Scholars: Christa Clarke, Curator of Africa, the Americas, and the Pacific, The Newark Museum; Mamadou Diouf, Leitner Family Professor of African Studies and director, Institute of African Studies, Columbia University; Chika Okeke-Agulu, assistant professor, Center for African American Studies and Department of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University; and
Zoë Strother, Riggio Professor of African Art, Department of Art History and Archaeology, Columbia University
This lecture and panel discussion are organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in collaboration with
New York University's Africa House and Grey Art Gallery.
CONCERTS & LECTURES
SUBSCRIPTION PROGRAM
Lecture
African Textiles
Kwame Anthony Appiah, Laurance S. Rockefeller University Professor of Philosophy and the University Center for Human Values, Princeton University. Africa's cultural heritage has much to tell us about the region's relationship to the world at large. The vibrant textile traditions of Africa are extremely diverse in materials, modes of production, and motifs. Dazzling silk and cotton kente woven in Ghana, earth-toned mud cloth from Mali, and deep indigo–toned fabrics dyed in northern Nigeria all reflect cross-cultural connections.
Friday, October 24, 6:00: $23
The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium
For subscription program tickets call (212) 570-3949, Monday–Saturday, 9:30–5:00, and
Sunday, 12:00–5:00. You may also visit the Concerts & Lectures box office in the Museum's Great Hall, Tuesday–Thursday, 10:00–4:30, Friday–Saturday, 10:00–7:00 and Sunday,
12:00–5:00, or go to www.metmuseum.org/tickets.
SUNDAYS AT THE MET
Sunday, November 9
An Afternoon with El Anatsui
A conversation between El Anatsui, artist, and Alisa LaGamma, curator, Department of the
Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
3:00
The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium
Contemporary artist El Anatsui, whose work recently acquired by the Met is a centerpiece of the exhibition, discusses his art in an interview with Alisa LaGamma, curator of the exhibition.
This program is organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in collaboration with
New York University's Africa House and Grey Art Gallery.
Sunday, February 1
Design Without End
This afternoon program focuses on Africa's rich textile tradition in a contemporary context. Speakers include Alisa LaGamma, curator, Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and
the Americas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Christine Giuntini, textile conservator, Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art; and John Mack, Professor of World Studies, Sainsbury Research Unit for the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, University of East Anglia.
2:00–4:30
The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium
GALLERY TALKS
Meet at exhibition entrance, Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas,
The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, first floor.
Wednesday, October 29, 4:00. Yaëlle Biro
Thursday, November 20, 11:00. Alisa LaGamma
Friday, December 19, 11:00. Alisa LaGamma
Wednesday, January 21, 11:00. Yaëlle Biro
Tuesday, February 10, 11:00. Yaëlle Biro
Tuesday, March 17, 11:00. Yaëlle Biro
DOCUMENTARY FILMS
Three Friday screenings of films from the 2008 Real Life Documentary Film Festival, Accra, Ghana, with an introduction by Awam Amkpa and Lydie Diakhaté, founders and directors of the festival. Due to seating limitations, these screenings will be ticketed. Tickets are free with Museum admission and may be picked up on a first-come, first-served basis at the Event Desk in the Uris Center for Education beginning at 5:00 on the afternoon of the event. All screenings occur in the Bonnie J. Sacerdote Lecture Hall, Uris Center for Education.
Awaiting for Men (2007), directed by Katy Lena Ndiaye (Senegal/Belgium). Tells the story of three women from the "red city" Oualata—at the extreme east of the Mauritanian desert.
As they paint and decorate the city walls, the women express themselves with a surprising sense of freedom in a society dominated by tradition, religion, and men (56 min.). Arabic with English Subtitles. Co-winner of the 2008 Walter Mosley Award for best documentary in the international competition.
Friday, October 17, 6:00
Bonne arrivée à Bamako (1998), directed by Karim Akadiri Soumaïla (France/Nigeria). Follows the journey of the Paris-based Malian fashion designer Xuly Bët (born Lamine Badiane Kouyaté) to Bamako, where he returned to create a new collection based on local materials and fabrics and to meet the photographer Malick Sidibé (52 min.). French with English subtitles.
Friday, November 14, 6:00
Glorious Exit (2007), directed by Kevin Mertz (Switzerland). Jarreth Merz, an actor of Swiss-Nigerian extraction living in Los Angeles, grapples with his heritage when he learns
that his father has passed away. According to Nigerian tradition, the first-born is responsible for a father's burial, and Merz begins a journey of discovery back to his origins and a family he hardly knows (75 min). Co-winner of the 2008 Walter Mosley Award for best documentary in the international competition.
Friday, December 12, 6:00
These screenings are organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in collaboration with the
Real Life Documentary Festival.
PODCAST AND VIDEO
El Anatsui
African artist El Anatsui discusses the meaning, influences, and creative process behind his
2006 sculpture Between Earth and Heaven—a large, undulating, tapestry-like work made from aluminum, copper wire, and thousands of bottle caps—with The Metropolitan Museum of Art's curator of African art, Alisa LaGamma. This sculpture is on view in the exhibition.
Listen to or download this Met Podcast episode at www.metmuseum.org/podcast.
El Anatsui Installing Between Earth and Heaven
To view a related video in which curator Alisa LaGamma and artist El Anatsui talk about
the installation of Between Earth and Heaven and its significance, go to the "Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas" playlist at www.youtube.com/user/metmuseum.
FAMILY PROGRAMS
Family Orientations
The Essential Art of African Textiles: Design Without End
These one-hour slide introductions to the special exhibition are designed for young visitors
and their adult companions.
Wednesday, October 1, 11:30–12:30, 1:00–2:00, 2:30–3:30
Saturday, October 4, 3:00–4:00 and 4:30–5:30
North Classroom, Uris Center for Education
SERVICES FOR VISITORS WITH DISABILITIES
"Picture This!" A Workshop for Visitors Who Are Blind or Partially Sighted
Participants learn about works in the exhibition through description and discussion.
Thursday, October 16, 2:00–4:00
This program is free, but places are limited.
Reservations required; please call (212) 879-5500, ext. 3561 or email access@metmuseum.org.
The Museum is committed to serving all audiences. Please call us about services, including Sign
Language–interpreted programs, Verbal Imaging Tours, the Touch Collection, and other programs.
Voice: (212) 879-5500, ext. 3561; TTY: (212) 570-3828
NOLEN LIBRARY IN
THE RUTH AND HAROLD D. URIS CENTER FOR EDUCATION
Nolen Library has information about the Museum's collection, special exhibitions, and a
Teacher Resource Center with a circulating collection for educators. There is also a Children's Reading Room, a specially designed space for families to read together from books in the
library's collection. For further information please call (212) 570-3788.
WEBSITE
For further information about our programs, visit the Museum's website at www.metmuseum.org.
The Essential Art of African Textiles: Design Without End
The exhibition is made possible in part by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation,
Fred and Rita Richman, and The Ceil & Michael E. Pulitzer Foundation, Inc.
It was organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York,
in collaboration with the British Museum, London.
Press resources