Pamela Allara
Fine Arts Department , MS 028
Brandeis University
Abstract
The work of the four multi-media artists in the "Cross-Currents" exhibition, on view from February 9 to April 2 at the Tufts University Art Gallery, poses challenging questions about African and African diasporic identity. Two of the artists are from South Africa : Zwelethu Mthethwa and Berni Searle, and their video installations in the exhibition each evoke cultural traditions and historical memory. Ingrid Mwangi, now based in Germany , and Moatzar Nasr, from Cairo , address the diasporic experience in their installation work. All four artists are uncomfortable with the designation "African artist," even as their works are firmly based in their experiences as Africans. This paper will explore the conflicts and contradictions involved in representing African identity in contemporary art. The exhibition on which the paper is based has been co-curated by Pamela Allara ( Brandeis University ) and Peter Probst ( Tufts University )