Madrid, Spain.
A rarely seen work by late South African artist Dumile Feni, titled “African Guernica, “has been showcased at the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid, where it stands in stark contrast to Picasso’s iconic Guernica. This is the first time the piece has been exhibited outside of South Africa and is a centerpiece of the museum’s new series, “History Doesn’t Repeat Itself, But It Does Rhyme.”Second paragraph.
Created in 1967, “African Guernica “is a charcoal and pencil drawing that encapsulates the anger and struggle of apartheid-era South Africa. It features a three-legged man with a grotesque mask, a cow nursing a baby, and birds pecking at scraps, set against shadowy figures that evoke the systemic violence and dehumanization of the period.
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The Reina Sofía’s director, Manuel Segade, explained the rationale behind the exhibit: “The aim is to take works from different cultural and geographical frameworks and put them alongside Guernica, allowing for re-readings of the museum’s famous work and attempting to correct old biases.”Feni, who died in New York in 1991 after nearly 25 years in exile, was renowned for his compulsive drawing habit from childhood and his deep engagement with indigenous African art, which was evident in his works. Paragraph.
Curator Tamar Garb highlighted Feni’s unique position in 20th-century art, noting his use of drawing materials at a scale almost unheard of globally at the time. The exhibit aims to underscore the significant contributions of African artists to the global art scene, with five other works by Feni, including the haunting “Hector Pieterson, “also on display.
Source: The guardian
