Aboudia
Leonce Agbodjélou
Fredy Alzate
Antonio Malta Campos
Rafael Gómezbarros
David Koloane
José Lerma
Mário Macilau
Ibrahim Mahama
Dillon Marsh
Jose Carlos Martinat
Vincent Michea
Oscar Murillo
Alejandra Prieto Boris Nzebo
Christian Rosa
New Art From Africa and Latin America. The exhibition cfeatures the work of 16 contemporary artists, celebrating the parallels between their distinctly diverse cultures and creative practices.
London, UK – On 1st April, the Saatchi Gallery will open Pangaea: New Art From Africa
and Latin America. Taking its title from the prehistoric landmass that conjoined Africa and
Latin America, this major survey reunites the two former sister continents by bringing
together the work of 16 of their contemporary artists.
The exhibition celebrates and explores the parallels between their distinctly diverse cultures
and creative practices, as they begin to receive recognition in the increasingly globalised art
world.
In Europe and the USA, art has typically advanced through a constant renewal of innovative
ideas and movements. We are now experiencing an important global shift as artists seek to
explore new art in regions outside their immediate geographical and historic context for
inspiration.
The desire by artists and their audiences to discover fresh influences from a broader body of
work has inspired the recent preoccupation of museums to broaden their Eurocentric
collections.
Against this backdrop, the artists in Pangaea: New Art From Africa And Latin America,
respond to present day complexities in diverse and innovative ways. Years of colonial rule,
rapid urban expansion, migration and political and economic unrest remain subjects for
many of the artists whose reflections on the richness of their environment translate into an
intense visual experience.
Rafael Gómezbarros’ Casa Tomada has taken over the facade of numerous national
monuments. The giant ants address issues of diaspora and internal displacement suffered in
Colombia for several decades due to the armed conflict wreaking havoc on the country.
Antonio Malta Campos’ bold paintings
emerge from a single pattern that organically
grows over time and gives way to
recognisable forms and a perceived narrative.
Vincent Michea’s bold paintings are inspired by
the architecture and population of his hometown
Dakar, Senegal’s largest city with a constantly
changing landscape.
Aboudia’s vast canvases are occupied by a multitude of characters displaying menacing
weapons, and are a record of the sudden escalation of violence following electoral chaos in
the city of Abidjan in 2011.
While a few artists from Africa and Latin America have gained international acclaim, a vast
number remain relatively unknown. The full scope of work on display in this exhibition, which
includes new painting, photography, installation and sculpture, encapsulates this sense of
diversity – a bubbling energy surfacing in the two great continents that were once Pangaea.
Pangaea: New Art From Africa and Latin America features work by Aboudia, Leonce
Agbodjélou, Fredy Alzate, Antonio Malta Campos, Rafael Gómezbarros, David Koloane,
José Lerma, Mário Macilau, Ibrahim Mahama, Dillon Marsh, Jose Carlos Martinat, Vincent
Michea, Oscar Murillo, Alejandra Prieto Boris Nzebo, Christian Rosa
Image: Rafael Gómezbarros, Casa Tomada, 2013
For any press-related enquiries please email press@saatchigallery.com
or contact Bianca Gidwani at +44 (0)207 811 3076.
PRESS DAY: Tuesday 1 April 2014, 10am – 2pm
Saatchi Gallery
Duke of York's HQ - King's Road - London
Opening hours:
10am-6pm, 7 days a week, last entry 5:30pm