Afriques Capitales — 100 % — La Villette — Exhibition — Slash Paris

Past: March 29 → May 21, 2017

Afriques Capitales — La Villette Avec Afriques Capitales, la Grande halle de la Villette met à l'honneur du 29 mars au 21 mai un continent qui ne cesse, depuis le milieu du XXème siècle, de fasciner le monde de l'art tout autant qu'il entretient avec le public européen une relation ambiguë.

Trente-cinq L’Afrique ne cesse, depuis le milieu du XXème siècle, de fasciner le monde de l’art et d’entretenir avec le public une relation ambiguë, où les promesses sans cesse renouvelées d’une visibilité accrue se sont multipliées à l’aune des déceptions et difficultés rencontrées...

It’s a fact : creativity never ceases to widen our horizons. The second edition of the 100% festival presents every conceivable facet of the contemporary African scene: dance, theater, music, fashion, design, exhibitions, culinary creations, and the list doesn’t stop there. It’s a month of high-quality festive events.

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Metropolis Afrique Capitales

Art curator Simon Njami — A proposition by Africa Aperta — Dominique Fiat

The portrait gallery’s walls are festooned with art work: photographs, drawings, paintings. On the footbridge, a proud and haughty Don Quixote observes events below. From one side, the Temple, represented by a white cube; on the other side of the street, a long ribbon of asphalt lined with houses. Each house has a surprise. Music pours out from jukeboxes to accompany us on this stroll.

Untitled, 2014, Mimi Cherono Ng’ok Courtesy Tiwani Contemporary, London

These buildings’ doors are closed. The only way to find out what is happening inside is to enter. Odd objects here and there hang overhead. An upside-down house, a paper maze, neon lights. Surprises abound with astounding scenes, performances, and poetic declamations. The outer gallery boasts a souk that is rather like a contemporary curio cabinet, both Oriental and Sub-Saharan, entirely fictional of course.