Visible-Invisible Urban Africa And Margins - Until 26.09.15

On March 26, 2015, the Blachere Foundation presents an exhibition of 15 leading artists, established and emerging from Africa: Visible / Invisible. 

Painters, photographers, sculptors and video artists were invited to submit works on the theme of contemporary urban Africa and its minorities "invisible" world renowned artists (like the South African William Kentridge and the Congolese photographer Sammy Baloji) and young talent confirmed (the Nyaba Leon Ouedraogo photographer or painter Dawit Abebe) have all the Choosing a questioning of the concept of "margin" in Africa.

Africa also includes within its minorities in its "margins". Contemporary artists invite us to change our view, to learn to see everyday reality, some media have helped to hide us or give us the form of snapshots.

Contemporary African art and plays the role of revealing. He gives life, shape, speech and dignity of those players made invisible because we do not show and populating the Continent Humble, informal sector workers, disabled, prostitute (e) s, homosexuals (the) s, street children, those who never make the cover of Africa "advance". Visible and Invisible: what is there in the shadows , not really hidden, but few looked shortly summoned. The artist as seer, one who looks and leads us to see. 

The representation of disability in Africa by Malik Njemi, grandmothers footballers Township Orange Farm at Andrew Esiebo, women accused of witchcraft and excluded from their village and then revealed by Nyaba Leon Ouedraogo, Addis Ababa prostitutes views by Michael Tsegaye, female bodies imprisoned and released by Tunisian photographer Mouna Karray, "Felix," the South African William Kentridge anonymous activist ... All these portraits question the viewer.

"You are the only one to see us, because no one is interested in us," say the photographer Nyaba Leon Ouedraogo of Burkina Faso. 

Faced with institutional players, many artists and citizens who form autonomous networks associated with an activity professional recognition, such as waste sorters, musicians, informal traders ... These networks develop their own alternative to the dominant codes codes.

These works and installations designed for the exhibition, are part of the spirit of the Blachère Foundation, inaugurated ten years ago: up Africa and its resolutely contemporary way artists without fatalism nor naïve.

Photographers: Sammy Baloji (DRC), Jodi Bieber (South Africa), Andrew Esiebo (Nigeria), Mouna Karray (Tunisia), Nadja Makhlouf (France / Algeria), Malik Njemi (France), Nyaba Leon Ouedraogo (Burkina -Faso), Michael Tsegaye (Ethiopia). 

Painters: Dawit Abebe (Ethiopia), Deborah Bell (South Africa), William Kentridge (South Africa), Ransome Stanley (Germany / Nigeria). 

Sculptors / videographer:  Clay Apenouvon (Togo ), Berry Bickle (Zimbabwe), Alex Burke (France), Nadja Makhlouf, Nyaba Leon Ouedraogo.