As African Art Thrives, Museums Grapple With Legacy of Colonialism

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TOP: GUS CASELY-HAYFORD. COURTESY OF THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM, LONDON.. BOTTOM: THE BENIN ROYAL MUSEUM WILL HOUSE MANY OF THE BRONZES LOOTED BY THE BRITISH AND SPREAD ACROSS MULTIPLE MUSEUMS AND INDIVIDUAL COLLECTIONS.

As African Art Thrives, Museums Grapple With Legacy of Colonialism

In 1897, 1,200 British troops captured and burned Benin City. It marked the end of independence for the Kingdom of Benin, which was in the modern-day Edo state in southern Nigeria. In addition to razing the city, British troops looted thousands of pieces of priceless and culturally significant art, known as the Benin bronzes.

More than a century later, the museums that house these pieces are grappling with the legacy of colonialism. Leaders in Africa have continued their call to get the Benin bronzes and other works of art taken by colonists back, at the same time as new museums open up across Africa. (In 2017, the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art organized its first traveling exhibition in Africa showcasing the work of the Nigerian photographer Chief S. O. Alonge. The show, catalogue and educational program were organized and produced in partnership with Nigeria's national museum in Benin City. Alonge was the official photographer to the Royal Court of Benin.)

The British Museum, which has the largest collection of Benin bronzes, is in communication with Nigeria about returning the bronzes. They’re waiting for the completion of the Benin Royal Museum, a project planned for Benin City. Edo state officials recently tapped architect David Adjaye, who designed the National Museum of African American History and Culture, to do a feasibility study on the site.

Eye | Luxury At V&A | London Craft Week | Lagerfeld In Bonn With Wanda Barcelona

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DesignTracker

V&A Talks Luxury

Open now at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum is ‘What Is Luxury’, closing on Sept. 27, 2015. Running concurrently with the blockbuster exhibition ‘Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty’, open through July 31, the collection of 100 objects set out to define luxury while predicting its future.

‘We wanted to show that no matter how gorgeous an object may be, it always exists within a larger context of ecology, economy, politics and culture,”’explains co-curator Leanne Wierzba. ‘Take Studio Swine’s ‘Hair Highway,’ (photo below) which sets human hair in natural resin, fashioning a dressing table, comb set and trinket boxes that look for all intents and purposes like wood. It’s all part of a commentary on the Chinese hair trade that highlights the material’s latent possibilities as a self-sustaining resource — one beautiful enough to put an end to the use of coral and tortoiseshell.’

The curators recognize that the future of luxury lies not with material goods but with discovery and exploration — or with time itself. Luxury has a historic and intrinsic link with craft, a relationship that will be supported and explored with the first London Craft Week, launching May 6, 2015. via

“Hair Highway” combs by Studio Swine, 2014. Studio SwineLondon Craft Week

May 6-10 London Craft Week

London has long had a Fashion Week and a Design Festival. From 2015, it will have the equivalent for the craft sector: London Craft Week, featuring the artistic flair, painstaking skills and raw talent of exceptional craftsmanship and, as a result, attracting an ever - increasing quality and volume of collectors and customers.’ says founder and chairman, Guy Salter.

Founded on the ethos of making, London Craft Week aims to introduce the talent, people and techniques behind beautifully made things to a wider audience.  They will be able to experience craft not just as static branded objects in smart shops but understand the context of how they were made, why they are special and even have a try themselves.

Lagerfeld Exhibition in Bonn

Karl Lagerfeld in Bonn through September 30, 2015.

From Germany’s Bundeskunsthalle Bonn museum exhibition website:

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