Photography from Africa is some of the most powerful and exciting you’ll see in the contemporary world. A walk around A World in Common on the top floor of Tate Modern reveals some of the most interesting photographic work you’re likely to see at the moment.
The exhibition has been running for a few months, and pleasingly, it’s drawn in the crowds – so we can hope that we’ll see other similar exhibitions in the future at other Tate locations and major galleries.
To celebrate its success, I asked two of the curators who worked on the project – Genevieve Barton and Jess Baxter – to give us more insight into its inception, the concept and ambitions for the future.
AP: Why is now the right time for an exhibition like this?
GB: is Tate Modern’s first exhibition exploring the diverse, ever-evolving field of African photographic practices. The show reflects the brilliant work being done by our Africa Acquisitions Committee. Spearheaded by our very own curator Osei Bonsu and Mercedes Vilardell, it has been instrumental in, and have also been fantastic additions to our collection as a whole. Tate Modern’s growing holdings of African art coupled with the vast exhibition spaces that lend themselves to celebrating the contributions of multiple artists with differing perspectives is exactly why the museum is the right place for the exhibition. It is a testament to the dedicated, boundary-pushing colleagues we work with, the unique architecture of the building and the vibrancy and creativity coming out of the African continent at present.
