BBC Culture Show: Who Are You Calling an African Artist?

Missed this tonight but for UK viewers it's available on BBC iplayer




Synopsis from BBC iPlayer:


"This summer, Tate Modern has opened its doors to Africa, dedicating an entire wing to two of the most important artists working today: 82-year-old visionary modernist Ibrahim El-Salahi and contemporary free-thinker Meschac Gaba. Writer and curator Morgan Quaintance discovers their extraordinary personal stories, and a struggle for recognition that spans six decades.

Studying at the Slade in the 1950s, Ibrahim El-Salahi returned home with a crate full of modern art, to meet a stony faced public in Sudan. Reconciling the language of modernism with the culture of his heritage, he found a powerful new way to express the dreams and ambitions of African independence. It was to lead to imprisonment, exile and eventually freedom.

Yet El-Salahi, along with Africa's modern art tradition, has been ignored by the museums and institutions of the West, to the shock of Meschac Gaba, arriving in Amsterdam on a scholarship in 1996. His response was to create his own Museum of Contemporary African Art - an idea for a museum that did not yet exist."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b037m49c/

2 Months to go!

With only two months to go im, admittedly, getting rather excited! Today I downloaded the form for a visa. Last time we didn't apply for one in advance and waited ages in the airport so wont make that mistake again! :)

I've started compiling a list of bits and bobs I need to do and what equipment I need to take. I won't have my wife to rely on to remember everything on this journey so I must get organised!

I've been chatting to Leyan lots since my last post. He does graphite drawings of lions and even makes his own frames. I can't wait to meet him and see his work in person. I also hope to meet his grandma who lives a few hours to the north making traditional beaded gourds and beaded ornaments.

This is Leyan!

If you live near Nairobi and know anyone you think I should meet then please get in touch! I'm in Nairobi for 7 or 8 days and need to fit in everything I can. My main objective is just to meet as many people I can explaining what I'm trying to achieve  My vision for safari on canvas is to open up a market for african art to the UK and European markets. By meeting the artists directly I can open up a direct channel for trade in this industry.