The exhibition From Inspiration to Transformation: Art from Africa and Works of Contemporary Art showcases new art projects from National Academy School students inspired by traditional African tribal objects. The objects on display were created by various tribes in central west, central east and south east Africa.
Inspired by the historical impact of African art on major movements in modern art, this exhibition challenges the dialogue between tribal identity and contemporary art. The artists in this exhibition have been inspired, entranced or simply puzzled by the African objects, creating intriguingly new artistic works.
The art moves from a meditative approach to a dynamic intensity, from action to reaction, from affirmation to denial. There are loud voices in a few of the paintings, while others are softer, as inspired by textiles. The video piece appears as a perpetual symbol of action and ritual, and in the surface of latex, for example, the mystery of the unsaid is renewed. Esoteric communication and psychological attention are displayed in the portraits, in which the artists have kept only a distant echo of the powerful images of the masks.
Maurizio Pellegrin, New York 2012