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News is just in that Skoto Gallery in New York is to present Erased, an exhibition of recent sculpture and painting by the Congolese-born artist Aime Mpane who divides his time between Kinshasa and Brussels. This is his third solo exhibition at the gallery. The reception is on Thursday, March 10th, 6-8pm, and the artist will be present.  Aime Mpane “Ice on Creve’ 2006-10 A series of 50 portraits Mixed media on wood 12x12 inches (30x30 cm) each Aimé Mpane’s work embodies the pain and grace of human conflict drawn from an informed political consciousness and awareness of Africa’s colonial history. His work indicts the social and political reality around him, a reality shaped by a perspective wrought out of his ability to express universal human emotions, deep understanding of the aesthetic and cultural character of the African continent and an abiding interest in redefining the relationship between reality and art. The history of his homeland – Democratic Republic of Congo – with memory of the brutalities instigated during the 19th century by King Leopold II of Belgium, continuing through the legacy of colonialism and the ensuing ravages of war and economic missteps in the post-colonial period is emblematic in this sense, revealing deep tragic outco me on the Congolese people in which trauma and the memory of trauma are central. Aime Mpane mines the theme of power and vulnerability in society as he engages with the past and present. His emotionally charged sculptural installation is imbued with enigmatic beauty inscribed with individual and collective identity. His work reflects subtle understanding of context, respect for tradition and awareness of the crucial links between function and experimentation. Despite the fact that he does not avoid the significance of content in his work, they still manage to tell stories of hope and courage, of compassion and resilience that speak to the triumph of the human spirit. Included in this show is “Ici on crève”, 2006-2008, a series of fifty portraits in rough-cut wood panels that was recently included in The Human Stain at Touched: 2010 Liverpool Biennial in Great Britain, and the 2009 exhibition Artists in Dialogue: António Ole and Aimé Mpane at the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC. The series began as portraits of people – mostly women and children – around him during frequent visits to Kinshasa, deftly using the adze to play with the tactility of wood, following its nature and highlighting its expressive potential. The resulting portraits are gritty, seductive and blunt in their varied forms. In group they make poignant statement about our common humanit y, and as Lorenzo Fusi, curator of Touched: 2010 Liverpool Biennial has observed “The exploration of the material, an investigation carried out beyond the surface of the painting, allows Aime Mpane to enter the psyche and emotional locus of the people and, more broadly, it enables the artist to narrate the history of an entire place”. Aime Mpane was born 1968 into a family of master artists in Kinshasa, DR Congo. He graduated in Sculpture from the Academie des Beaux-Arts, Kinshasa in 1990 and obtained advance degree at the Ecole National Superieure des Art Visuels de La Cambre, Brussels, Belgium in 2000. Exhibitions include “Perceptions”, GlazenhuIs Amstelpark, Amsterdam, 2010; “Ntonga Sa”, Am Ostwall Museum of Contemporary Art, Dortmund, Germany in 2009, “Three One-Person Exhibitions” (with James Little and George Smith), Station Museum, Houston, 2007; and Musee de Katanga, Lubumbashi, DR Congo, 2002 and “Africa Sana“, Quai Antoine 1er, Monaco in 2001. He is in several public and private collections in Africa, Europe and the US. Awards include 2006 Prix de la Fondation Jean-Paul Blachère, Dak’Art Bienniale, Dakar, Senegal. |
Monthly Archive for February, 2011
If you are yet to have catch up with the views of some of the most active arts and culture attenders in the City, then why not have a look at their blogs?
Throughout 2010 Paul Argent, Barbara McGrouther, Becky Smith, Kristal Clark and Donna Williamson have been recording their visits to a wide-range of cultural events across Liverpool and they are still attending in 2011.
One of the more recent post was about Liverpool’s Chinese New Year Celebrations.
This is what Barbara reported about Liverpool Biennial 2010.
It’s a great innovation and hopefully will find a way to continue for a long time to come, the Cultural Champions will eventually have to be re-elected and if you are as passionate about the role of culture in your communities as they have been then you could put yourself forward. I don’t know the details of when that will be, but keep look out for further information.
Massive Change Network Launch, part of the Decade of Health and Wellbeing
At the Johnson Foundation Auditorium, Liverpool John Moores University, Art & Design Academy, 2 Duckinfield Street, Liverpool L3 5RD.
17.30 – 20.00 on Thursday 24 February 2011
(18.00 – Screening of Plan B, 19.00 – Live-link Discussion)
This is a great opportunity to join in the discussions around placing Liverpool at the heart of a growing movement of cities looking for a future which is more equal, well and green.
In May 2010 Year of Health and Wellbeing, Bruce Mau, designer and global urban strategist, visited Liverpool and engaged with stakeholders from diverse communities on the topic of sustainable cities, looking at Everton Park as a site for transformational change. Since then the dialogue has continued as Bruce Mau moves from running a design studio to launching this new initiative – a global Massive Change Network.
They are keen to involve a wide range of stakeholders, including those who were involved directly in the Bruce Mau visit and other stakeholder groups who are pro-actively supporting the Decade of Health and Wellbeing. Community groups, businesses, students and professionals from all spheres - all are most welcome to join this seminar and we hope contribute to ongoing discussions on this theme for the Decade of Health and Wellbeing.
People around the world are invited to join an open format for live discussion, questions and answers on the potential of design to confront the challenges we face. Be part of the global screening of Swedish documentary film THE PLAN written and directed by David & Michael Stenberg of Biosphere Pictures.
Followed immediately by live discussion with Bruce Mau, Bisi Williams, and director David Osterberg.
Whether we like it or not, we are heading toward a profound change. The climate, population growth, species extinction, resource consumption..are running wild. We can deal with it and produce the change we want, or we can let that change force itself upon us. More and more people are becoming aware of these challenges and engaging in different plans and initiatives to drive this development of new possibilities forward.
In THE PLAN, we will get to know some of these people. Their stories, thoughts, ideas and plans seem to be part of something bigger — MASSIVE CHANGE. Imagine harnessing the power of collaboration, science, creativity, design thinking and optimism to solve the world’s greatest challenges. Citizens could change and design the world for the betterment of not only our welfare today, but the future of generations to come.
For more details and respond to sarah.garner@liverpoolpct.nhs.uk to reserve your free place or phone 0151 296 7532. Please feel free to extend this invitation to others.
