Environment and Object. Recent African Art

The definition of a new African artist is as broad and diverse as the continent itself; and the stories these artists tell are at once uplifting and devastating, as are their nations´ histories. This book focuses on the impact of the environment on contemporary African life and the use of found objects and appropriated materials in current African art. Artists from the oil-rich Niger Delta create images of the region´s ecological destruction, impoverishment, and despair. Works from the Congo and South Africa depict abandoned mines and convict labor. Also included are El Anatsui´s constructs made from bottle caps and wire and Romuald Hazoumé´s clever masks, pieced together from discarded cans and obsolete telephone parts. Together these artists have created a multidimensional portrait of a continent with rich cultures, multiple challenges, and a creative and resourceful population of inspiring artists.