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26 Oct 2021 (2 min) read
This collection of self-portraits will offer an examination of the myth of the monolithic ‘Africa’ and an exploration of contemporary artists’ visual definitions of what it means to be ‘African’ or ‘of Africa.’
Zizipho Poswa will exhibit in a group show, titled Self-Addressed, at Jeffrey Deitch Gallery in Los Angeles from 6 November – 23 December. The exhibition of self-portraits by contemporary African artists is curated by Kehinde Wiley in collaboration with Deitch and Black Rock Senegal, the artist residency founded by Wiley in Dakar in 2019.
Wiley invited a diverse group of African artists living throughout the world to each produce a self-portrait. Together these portraits will present a new exploration of identity, perception, and self-regard within the global stage through the lens of figuration, exploring notions of perspective, authorship and control within acts of expression that directly address the self. This collection of self-portraits will offer an examination of the myth of the monolithic ‘Africa’ and an exploration of contemporary artists’ visual definitions of what it means to be ‘African’ or ‘of Africa.’
Poswa’s work, titled Omhle, is a large ceramic sculpture inspired by the forms and patterns of traditional African hairstyles. Although the piece is an assertion of her own identity and cultural pride, it is a wider celebration of the beauty and resilience of African women in general.