VESTFOSSEN KUNSTLABORATORIUM
From 04 May to 21 September 2019
The Vestfossen Kunstlaboratorium in Oslo is pleased to host an exhibition of contemporary art from the African continent for its opening in the spring of 2019. Organised by the Norwegian gallery owner Kristin Hjellegjerde, based in London, Kubatana is the result of nearly two years of research. It brings together the works of 33 artists from 18 of the 54 African countries on the four floors of the museum - one of the largest exhibitions of African art in Scandinavia to date. The variety of media and styles presented - as well as the themes and subjects explored - reflects the immense richness and cultural diversity of a continent that is home to multiple races, creeds, languages and cultures.
Kubatana (which means "together" in the Shona language of Zimbabwe) invites us to discover some new and exciting ways in which African artists are working today, as well as to reconsider the many stereotypes associated with Africa that still prevail. The last ten years have been marked by a rapid growth of contemporary African art, which has led to exponential recognition on the world art scene, as evidenced by major solo exhibitions organized by international institutions, art fairs such as 1:54 and the growing success of African art as a genre in major auction houses.
