“Why are there no black saints?” asks Nigerian artist Victor Ehikhamenor, whose work Saints and Sanctums is currently on display at the inaugural 2020 Stellenbosch Triennale Curators’ Exhibition.
An exciting showcase of 20 contemporary African artists, and extraordinary in terms of international reach and extent of art on show, the exhibition places creativity in critical dialogue with the society that fosters and exhibits it.
The theme, ‘Tomorrow There Will be More of Us’, provides the meeting points for engagement with the divided past, the collective present and the imagined future. The focus is on accessibility, development and the democratisation of art and its numerous benefits for all.
“African creatives confront us with what is possible for a renewal to happen utilising art as a lens, a course correction, a stimulus around curiosity and imagination. Through the Stellenbosch Triennale, we bring work from the continent to the southernmost tip as an intersection of time – where the past, present and future are in dialogue,” explains Khanyisile Mbongwa, chief curator of the 2020 Stellenbosch Triennale.
With impressive installation art on display, Ehikhamenor departs from a stance of his own experience as a Catholic in Africa, delving into realities and dreams, and challenging the status quo. The symbolism of his installation is also placed within the greater context of the theme of the Triennale, ‘Tomorrow There Will Be More of Us’.
“This work is made entirely from prayer rosaries, because I grew up as a Catholic. We don’t really have black saints, and I wonder why that is. So we have to create our own saints,” he says.
“The open door that comes with the installation, is also to show that doors have to be opened for everybody to go through. You have millions of Catholics in Africa, yet you can’t count saints.
“Tomorrow there will probably be more saints that we are going to create by ourselves. And that cuts across everything from politics to economics, cultural orientations and more.”
To view a video of Ehikhamenor, and his work Saints and Sanctums, on display at the Stellenbosch Triennale’s Curators’ Exhibition at The Woodmill in Devon Valley, Stellenbosch, until 30 April 2020, click here.
