On Saturday 29 August between 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm, the international art center OpenArtExchange in the museum quarter at Hoogstraat 85 opens its doors for the group exhibition ‘AFRICA NOW’ with pen drawings, paintings, collages, aluminum works and sculptures by 10 African contemporary visual artists. from 5 different countries. Lovers of contemporary African art can indulge themselves in this special international retrospective exhibition. 

In connection with the Corona measures, there will be a walk-in afternoon on 29/8 during which you can visit the exhibition and the permanent collection with a snack and a drink at a safe distance in one direction. Outdoor seating is available should we exceed the maximum number of visitors during peak times. However, we expect that with the current 450 m2 exhibition space, we will have sufficient capacity available to handle the walk-in properly. The exhibition will run until October 4. 

AFRICA NOW 

The exhibition aims to provide a glimpse into the richness and diversity of contemporary African art with the presentation of recent works (2020/2019) by 10 artists, representing 4 generations. We are particularly proud of the quality and versatility of the work brought to the Netherlands for this exhibition. For example, well-known colourist Sam Ovraiti (Nigeria) shows acrylic and oil paintings that seem to be a fusion of Picasso and the coloring and light of the French Impressionists. Librist Eddy Masumbuku (DR Congo) combines mysterious abstract iconic heads in flowing layers of gray hues on bright coloured surfaces. Sébastien Boko (Benin) creates lyrical semi-figurative sculptures with a surrealist twist in wood and metal. Kingsley Ogwara (Luxembourg / Nigeria) composes colorful abstracts in grand size with a lot of texture, which seem to take the shape of crowds. Patrick Musombwa (France / DRC) shows expressionist abstracts with a figurative hint and a touch of Edvard Munch. In contrast, Yusuf Seido Okus (Nigeria) comes with wall sculptures made of aluminum foil and Abdoul Ganiou Dermani (Germany / Togo) shows modestly styled pen drawings with coffee on paper. Barry Nzennaya (Nigeria), Gabriel Jideonwor (Nigeria) and Benigno Mangovo (Angola) complete these all with acrylic paintings in cubistic style, figurative abstract expressionistic style and abstract surrealistic style, respectively. In short, an eclectic overview that defies any stereotyping of African art.