ARTAFRICAUpon inspection, the exhibition is all but new. The curator, André Magnin, is a a long-term
collaborator of Fondation Cartier and is a household name when it comes to the work
of artists such as Chéri Samba, Malick Sidibé and many other canonical African artists.
The Foundation is no stranger to the continent’s artists either. In 1990, Chéri Samba was
invited to the Foundation’s previous premises in Jouy-en-Josas. A retrospective of his
work was held in 2004 in the current building on Boulevard Raspail. In 1995, Bodys Isek
Kingelez had a solo show there. In 2012, ‘Histoires de Voir’ (‘Show and Tell’) showed a
selection of Congolese art from the 20s to the 40s. Contrary to public opinion, it is not
a new craze we are witnessing here, rather an old craze biting its own tail. This is one of
the strongest criticisms one can direct at the institution.In an age (and more importantly, a city) where the appearance of knowledge is everything,
a successful exhibition is achieved by making the known appear unknown, so that the
audience might not be too uprooted from the images they are familiar with and yet still
feel entertained. ‘Beauté Congo’ does just that. It draws on the recent rhetoric of Africa
rising, a celebration of African creativity, without ever going too deeply into it.
Where are the ‘invisible’ curators, the theorists, the art historians, the artists? Where are the
Chéri Sambas from fifteen years on? Having a couple of paintings by the latter reflecting
on the power struggle between ‘South’ and ‘West,’ and between African artist and Western
collector, is far from being discursive and critical enough. The late Kiripi Katembo earnedREVIEWSBEAUTÉ CONGO / OLIVIA ANANI 3/5 ARTAFRICA
Monsengo Shula, Ata Ndele Mokili Ekobaluka (Tôt ou tard le monde changera), 2014. Acrylic and glitters on canvas,
130 x 200 cm. Private Collection. © Monsengo Shula. Photo © Florian Kleinefen