Travelling Exhibitions
TRADITIONAL AFRICAN MURALS
Location:
Muzej Krajine Negotin – Galerija Mokranjčeve kuće
May 14th – June 14th 2018
Exhibition and Catalogue by:
Nataša Njegovanović Ristić
Exhibition Photos
About this Travel of the Exhibition
The “Traditional African Murals” exhibition by the Museum of African Art (MAA) was presented in The Museum of Krajina in Negotin – at the Gallery of the Memorial House of Stevan Mokranjac from May 14th to June 15th 2018, as part of the „Museums for 10“ program. The exhibition was opened by Ivica Trajković, director of the Museum of Krajina Negotin and, from the Museum of African Art, by Marija Miloš, curator and Milica Josimov, consevator. On this occasion, the „Klasje“ vocal group guided by teacher Dušica Đurđić performed selected songs from their repertoire.
Accompanying the exhibition, a series of the „Mini models for African Murals“ creative workshops was organized for school children by Marija Miloš and Milica Josimov, and Vesna Janjić and Sanja Radosavljević from the Museum of Krajina Negotin.
We give our thanks to all colleagues from the Museum of Krajina Negotin for inviting us to present the “Traditional African Murals” exhibition, for successful collaboration and for the many beautiful impressions we have from Negotin.
About the Exhibition
The “Traditional African Murals” exhibition presents photographs of painted, relief and mosaic decorations that appear on architecture – elements of house exteriors and interiors, and whole compounds from different parts of the continent. Murals as an artistic form are a centuries-old tradition, with examples of exceptional visual solutions that distinguish the works of artists of the Igbo (Nigeria), Gurunsi (Burkina Faso and Ghana), Ndebele and Basotho (South Africa) peoples.
Due to the climate, each year after the rainy season the murals are restored or repainted. The ephemeral nature of the murals did not impact the artistic style or themes. On the contrary, women muralists have transferred their painting skills from one generation to the other and maintained this form of artistic expression, continuously transmitting by means of the aesthetic and semantic prism employed, the most important values of the community – such as virtue, morality, pride, identity, spirituality.
The “Traditional African Murals” exhibition bears witness to the artistic expression of the African women-muralists who approach the walls of their houses like a canvas, expressing at the same time elements of the traditional cannon and the spirit of modernity which represent the creative spring from which African contemporary artists originate.
