15th Gwangju Biennale - African Pavilion
Selebe Yoon is proud to annonce the participation of Younes Baba-Ali, Mbaye Diop, Hamedine Kane, Melinda Fourn and Naomi Lulendo at the African Pavilion of the 15th Gwangju Biennale, titled "Dreamscape" and curated by Igo Diarra.
“How has Africa been dreamed of? Some dreamt of dividing Africa. Others dreamt of Africa being united. Black feminism professor, Njoki Wane, beautifully articulated that an African renaissance can be achieved "through unity by acknowledging our differences and capitalizing on our similarities." Explorations of differences and similarities are shown through art, digital activism, and music. Yet, despite these efforts, there remains a palpable sense of incompleteness in our unity. Human nature is inherently restless, constantly navigating the tension between separation and unity, diversity and similarity, individual and communal. Our dreams, aspirations, cultures, and identities—akin to sinusoidal waves reflecting off each other—are caught in the perpetual process of learning and rejecting, borrowing and giving. Capturing this endless motion in a single space creates a Dreamscape—a realm where entities blend, converse, or stand distinctly apart.
What does Africa dream of? Although answering this question for every person across the 54 countries of the continent is a monumental challenge, the dynamics within this Dreamscape are manifested in the art presented in this exhibition. While our selection of artists cannot substitute the multitude of voices populating our vast Dreamscape, it exposes the particularities found in it. We treat this pavilion as a preface to future exhibitions representing more countries from the continent. The path of the Dreamscape passes through the notions of post-consumerism and climate issues, explores the connection between objects and memories, reveals recontextualized representations of identities, discloses the interaction between body and space, and discovers previously hidden particularities of the ordinary. Today, artists from 20 countries will leave the door to the limitless Dreamscape ajar.”
- Igo Diarra, curator of the African Pavilion “Dreamscape”
The 15th Gwangju Biennale will take place from September 7 to December 1, 2024.