'Art is symbolic of a people culture and civilization evolving and coexisting within an environment constantly faced with climatic change'
– Sanaa Gateja
Since the global COVID epidemic, the themes examined by artists living and working on the African continent have shifted. Earlier, the predominant themes were the examination of the rapid changes brought on by years of economic growth and by the democratization and reach of digital communication. Now the mood is of a more reflexive nature, with the notions of repair, memory, spirituality, and preservation, more often present in the work. The degradation of the environment, and the resulting changes in landscapes, underpin a new creative exploration of the meaning of the natural world, and of its representation . Climate change looms behind the investigation of contemporary mass phenomena like global migration - as well as behind individual existentialist questioning. Some elements of optimism are evident in a renewed interest in community, in individual resilience, and for some, in the belief in the positive potential of new technologies.
It Resonates features a selection of works by nine contemporary artists working in different countries across the African continent. Across a range of different media, the works delve into an array of ideas and feelings related to the issues of Sustainability and of Climate Change.
