Afrofuturism, Mary Sibande, Gerald Machona, Pumzi, Africa, Filmmakers, intellectual movement, African Future, science fiction, Western contemporary art, art community, narratives, high-tech, modernity, African heritage, culture, visual storytelling
Afrofuturism is a cultural and creative movement that boldly confronts common preconceptions about Africa, arguing that the region is culturally immobile and technologically "backward". On the other hand, Afrofuturism asserts Africa's entitlement to modernity and technology while honouring its vast and diverse heritage. The visionary inquiry of the future and time is at the heart of this movement. African artists, designers, and filmmakers have emerged as forerunners of this transforming story. They have not only broken preconceptions but also reinvented Africa's place in the global environment through their artistic manifestations, producing an unmistakable Afrofuturist vision. This essay will go into the works of selected African artists and filmmakers such as Mary Sibande, Gerald Machona, and Wanuri Kahiu, whose works transcend time, altering perceptions of Africa and injecting it with the vitality of a forward-thinking, technologically empowered future.
[...] Afrofuturism is a powerful counter-narrative to the mistaken belief that Africa is intrinsically 'backward'. Instead, it urges Africans and people of African heritage to go back to their traditional roots for inspiration in crafting a more inclusive and progressive future; according to Osei, "it is not taboo to return into history to reclaim the past in order to move forward?this is our past and we are going to change that narrative in the future" (Osei, 2020:382). Mary Sibande Mary Sibande is a South African artist noted for her provocative and visually arresting works that address questions of identity, racism, gender, and post-colonialism. [...]
[...] Afrofuturism honours Black culture while imagining a future in which Black people play significant roles in shaping society, technology, and the universe (Acuff, 2020:20). Identity can be explored in various ways in science fiction. Like any other group, Black people have a wide range of identities and experiences (Womack, 2013:11). Science fiction may be used to investigate how Black identities intersect with technology, space, and time, providing a prism through which to evaluate what it means to be Black in many speculative situations, according to Womack, "they can dig behind the societal reminders of blackness and womanhood to express a deeper identity and then use this discovery to define blackness, womanhood, or any other identifier in whatever form their imagination allows" (Womack, 2013:101). [...]
[...] Exploring Afrofuturism: Artists and Filmmakers Shaping a Technologically Empowered African Future TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ii Introduction 1 Afrofuturism 2 Mary Sibande 4 Gerald Machona 6 Pumzi 8 Conclusion 10 APPENDIX 11 BIBLIOGRAPHY 14 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Mary Sibande, Ascension of the Purple Figure Mixed media installation x 101 x 101 cm. Kavi Gupta Gallery, Chicago, USA. (Kavi Gupta Figure Gerald Machona, Ndiri Afronaut am an Afronaut) Decommissioned Zimbabwean dollar, foam padding, fabric, wood, Perspex, rubber, plastic tubing, nylon thread and gold leaf, life-size. [...]
[...] (Kavi Gupta Gallery). Figure Gerald Machona, Ndiri Afronaut am an Afronaut) Decommissioned Zimbabwean dollar, foam padding, fabric, wood, Perspex, rubber, plastic tubing, nylon thread and gold leaf, life-size. Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg, Cape Town. (Goodman Gallery). Figure Wanuri Kahiu, Pumzi (IMDb) BIBLIOGRAPHY Acuff, B Afrofuturism: Reimaging Art Curricula for Black Existence. Art Education, 73(3):13-21. Bourland, W Afronauts. Third Text, 34(2):209-229. Mary Sibande - good is bad and bad is good: Widewalls. [Online]. [...]
[...] These outfits are frequently bright and elaborate, representing a rejection of her past position and the assumption of new, powerful identities. Sibande expresses modern Black South African's anger with the colour red that shows under Sophie's dress, choice stemming from the Zulu aphorism, ie ukwatile uphenduke inja ebomvu, meaning he is angry, he turned into a red dog" (Widewalls, n.d.). Sibande reawakens Sophie's history through how her body is portrayed, allowing her to inhabit narratives previously stolen from and rejected by Black women. [...]
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