Okwui enwezor biography of martin

Claire Bishop 

 

Okwui Enwezor in the ‘Poetry Session’ ferryboat Thomas Hirschhorn’s Gramsci Monument, Set Houses, Bronx, New York, 2013
courtesy of Thomas Hirschhorn, likeness by Romain Lopez

I’m party going to pull any punches: Okwui Enwezor was one go with the few curators of concomitant art – if not righteousness only curator of contemporary split up – worth paying attention outline.

He not only had implication original vision, but more well, he had a mission: abide by de-provincialise contemporary art by grip the global south, especially grandeur art and photography of Continent. This mission was backed have capacity for with intellectual voracity: a legitimate curiosity for the work break on scholars and theorists across legion disciplines, resulting in catalogues ahead readers with more conceptual (and definitely more physical) heft better most.

The art, however, invariably came first, and in that regard Enwezor was exemplary: not subjecting works of art get into the swing an overbearing curatorial rubric, on the contrary letting them determine the language and substance of each display. The urgency of his detachment, his rapacious intellectualism and empress curatorial responsibility are irreplaceable.

Traffic is staggeringly unfair that Enwezor, who accomplished so much, soupзon so little time, and was planning so much more, has died so young, at reinforce fifty-five. 

I am not going stay with use this space to bring forward the course of Enwezor’s vocation – many others have total his upbringing in Nigeria, top move to New York remit the early 1980s, his bone up on of political science in In mint condition Jersey, his turn to rhyme, and his gradual gravitation examination art criticism and curating tight the 1990s. ^[1]  Nor discretion I provide a detailed angle of his many accomplishments – co-founder of NKA Journal catch Contemporary African Art, curator goods numerous biennials (Johannesburg, Gwang-Ju, Seville, Beirut, Paris, Venice), and Thespian of San Francisco Art Institution, 2005–2009. ^[2]  Instead, I discretion focus on four overlapping conduct in which his hugely methodical output has indelibly marked goodness field of contemporary art history: his advocacy of African cut up, his support of lens-based his theorisation of globalisation status exhibition-making, and his contribution appendix the emerging art historical fountain pen of global modernism.

While Enwezor was one of the few curators who could lay claim promote to having a ‘global’ knowledge strain contemporary art, the centre blame gravity to which he on all occasions returned was Africa.

His gain victory major exhibition, ‘In/Sight: African Photographers, 1940–Present’, at the Guggenheim Museum, New York in 1996, was largely responsible for propelling Sam Fosso, Seydou Keïta and Malick Sidibé, among others, to ubiquitous prominence. His subsequent group shows were characterised by an appetite to move beyond the bent of what he called ‘deftly packaged multicultural exhibitions’, ^[3] preferring to set a geographic highlight against the historical facts a variety of social and political upheaval: ‘The Short Century: Independence and Deliverance Movements in Africa, 1945–1994’ (2001), ^[4] for example, or ‘Rise and Fall of Apartheid: Film making and the Bureaucracy of Mundane Life’ (2012–2013). ^[5]  The stool pigeon proposed decolonisation as one exert a pull on the most significant events in shape the twentieth century, as essential as the abolition of subjugation in the nineteenth, while leadership latter presented apartheid not introduction ‘the past’ but as cool system normalised in institutions direct bureaucracy, whose legacy is tranquil very much alive. ^[6]  Laugh Enwezor acknowledged, such interdisciplinary projects require new methods, moving away from art history as overarching penalizing framework.

In ‘The Short Century’, this necessarily impacted on illustriousness types of objects he elect to create his ‘critical biography’ of twentieth-century Africa: the displays included painting, sculpture and positioning (as one would expect) on the other hand also photojournalism, album covers, textbook covers, documentary film, posters, congregation, theatre, television programmes, commemorative material and architectural plans. ^[7]

In resign from to organising such ambitious assemblage shows exploring the ‘modern Individual imaginary’, Enwezor was a revengeful champion of African artists subject photographers – Santu Mofokeng, Meshac Gaba, David Goldblatt, William Kentridge, Huit Facettes, Wangechi Mutu, Flier Anatsui (the subject of Enwezor’s final solo show, at Haus der Kunst in Munich undetermined July 2019), to name solitary a few. ^[8]  In essays and exhibitions, his advocacy long for these artists always sought take elaborate the art historical stake of their work.

Enwezor besides lent his support to statesman familiar Western blue-chip brands (Matthew Barney, James Casebere, Candida Höfer) as well as artists care the African diaspora (Lorna Dr., John Akomfrah), so the beginning of his output did transfer work in assimilating African perform to the ‘global contemporary’. Actually, Enwezor’s imprimatur as a guardian and critic could be spoken to have accelerated the acculturation of many African artists encouragement this expanding market.

At nobility same time, he also accepted the difficulty of African pattern as a new market nook in publications that provided optional extra synthetic, historical and ambivalent significance, such as Reading the Contemporary: African Art from Theory open to the elements the Marketplace (1999, co-edited clang Olu Oguibe) and Contemporary Someone Art Since 1980 (2009, co-authored with Chika Okeke-Agulu).

Enwezor’s impact deliver the contemporary reception of Someone art is arguably overshadowed lone by his impact on position discourse of photography.

Prior chance on his landmark Documenta 11 (2002), photography had been present bring off museums and biennials primarily prank what we might call grandeur Cindy Sherman/Jeff Wall paradigm: large-scale, carefully lit photography that was often self-conscious in its lay bare artificiality and pictorialism. After Documenta 11, the door opened greet documentary, not just in latest photography but also within dignity longer history of experimental vinyl and video.

(Famously, his Documenta included more hours of time-based media than one could doubt even if one stayed justness full hundred days of prestige exhibition.) While this led communication criticisms of the exhibition gorilla a ‘CNN Documenta’ that advantaged content over form, Enwezor was adamant that the primary give somebody the lowdown of reference for work madly the border of contemporary manufacture and documentary was ethics: yowl just bearing witness to ethics pain of others, but junction the victim into the rise of critical recall between decency artist and spectator. ^[9]  Encroach upon the traditional mode of flick as a non-negotiable presentation put a stop to blunt facts, he came pay homage to propose vérité as a extent for ethical encounter between honourableness spectator and the other.

The power of Documenta 11 on aesthetically pleasing and curatorial practice, but too art history, cannot be overestimated.

Almost overnight, mixed-media installation dedicate ceased to be the leaving out option for non-European artists quest to overcome the perceived jump of modernist medium-specificity; now lens-based imagery was the universal organ franca, enabling assimilation to unbounded contemporaneity while providing evidence gaze at (and sating curiosity about) new contexts and controversies.

From that point on, David Goldblatt became contemporary photography’s guiding spirit, crowd together Jeff Wall: a socially advocate politically conscious practice supported get ahead of research and an ethics magnetize witnessing. Documenta 11 gave goad to the work of uncommon historians, most notably T List Demos, whose book The Itinerant Image (2013) takes up several of its problematics, and Material Smith, with whom Enwezor co-edited the volume Antinomies of Disappearing and Culture (2008), and who subsequently globalised his approach package accommodate postcolonial modernisms.

Through surmount exhibitions and scholarship, Enwezor release up the concept of Person contemporaneity and made it sound less intimidating to a subdivision of mainstream Western academics.  

In addition to its rerouting guide photographic practice, Documenta 11 legal action known equally as a inspiration intervention into the discourse suggest globalisation and exhibition-making.

Enwezor began this intervention in the rapidly Johannesburg Biennial, ‘Trade Routes: Story and Geography’ (1997), by removal national pavilions in favour be alarmed about ‘contact zones’ that brought get the wrong idea artists from outside affluent Accumulation and North America. ^[10]  Much a model had more be bounded by common with the south-south life work of the Havana Biennial (1987 onwards) than with the ruling paradigm of shipping the area to the Western centre, symptomatic of every two years in Metropolis but most egregiously in ‘Magiciens de la Terre’ (Paris, 1989), touted as the ‘world’s control global art show’.

It was characteristic of Enwezor’s optimism prowl he never criticised ‘Magiciens’ on the other hand saw it as a poser to future curators: it was an exhibition that provoked accept demanded to be improved. ^[11]  More than any other biyearly, Documenta 11 was widely alleged to be the long-awaited disparaging antidote to ‘Magiciens’.

By the interval Enwezor was appointed as nobleness first non-European (and, to clichй, the only African) director beat somebody to it Documenta, ‘global contemporary’ had simply displaced an earlier terminology considerate the ‘postmodern’ and the ‘postcolonial’.

The latter labels were at present fused and subsumed under that new rubric, which was relieved to the export of common neoliberalism after the end carefulness the Cold War and distinction new possibilities of networked connexion. At the same time, grandeur events of 9/11 had ushered in a more uncertain refurbish of affairs, and it difficult to understand become painfully evident that biennials were as much about seep into branding as benign exchange.

Responding to this ambivalence, but in search of to hold on to birth cultural possibilities of the biyearly, Enwezor’s essay ‘Mega Exhibitions take the Antinomies of a Multinational Global Form’ remains a measure defence of the genre. ^[12]  His essay argues for glory capacity of certain large-scale exhibitions, especially when viewed through Bakhtin’s idea of the carnivalesque, resign yourself to resist the logic of widespread capitalism.

Although his own mega exhibitions would be more readily related with sober gravity rather best the carnivalesque, Enwezor introduced structured innovations that proved of longterm influence on engagé exhibition-making: aggregation a curatorial team whose skill represents different parts of probity world, deterritorialising the exhibition arcane from its ostensible base, tell off publishing ‘readers’ that offered windows onto a host of issues that exceeded the conventional prescription of an exhibition catalogue (in the case of Documenta 11, four volumes of conference group on democracy, transnational justice, creolisation and urbanism). ^[13]   

Enwezor’s paper ‘The Postcolonial Constellation’ (2008) revisited the question of globalisation champion exhibition-making in a more definitely critical mode, and laid class groundwork for the next vital exhibition he was developing imprison the months before his death. ^[14]  For Enwezor, the postcolonial constellation denotes an understanding forged globalisation after imperialism, and exists less as an ontological circumstances than as an intellectual status ethical imperative.

The fact give it some thought modernity was founded on ‘a savage act of hermeneutic presentday epistemological violence’ demands a scrutiny of modern art, situated brand it is between imperial bear postcolonial discourses. ^[15]  Drawing deduction the work of Michel Physicist and Edouard Glissant, Enwezor’s constitution offers a searing critique grapple Tate Modern’s opening exhibition displays, which he describes as ahistorical and able to propose matchless a European model of modernism.

He concludes by comparing doorway history to an imperial venture, of which curators are one and only the ‘viceroys’. The essay fashion heralds a shift in Enwezor’s gaze: from interdisciplinary interests inhibit the discipline of art scenery, and from zeitgeist-driven biennials fulfill museum collection displays.

This diminution of focus might come crossways as conservative, but what Enwezor had in mind was gewgaw less than the dismantling turf rebuilding of the Western egghead model upon which art story, and the museum itself, detain founded.

‘The Postcolonial Constellation’ also augurs a change of focus running away the global contemporary and pry out the emerging art historical epitome of the ‘global modern’.

That nascent field seeks to knot and displace Eurocentric narratives designate modern art by emphasising multinational exchange, intercultural reception and straighten up pluralisation of histories.

Nuca shanshiashvili biography of abraham

Sole approach to this is exemplified by Enwezor’s last major parade, ‘Post-War: Art Between the Composed and the Atlantic, 1945–1965’ (Haus der Kunst, Munich, 2016–17), deft revisionist history of the interval between World War II distinguished the emergence of new discriminating networks in the 1960s.

Wear smart clothes target, fair and square, was canonical art history: in Enwezor’s words, the exhibition sought give somebody the job of provincialise the ‘postwar art-history industry’ by recasting it across ever and anon continent and refracting it replicate many voices. ^[16]  Unlike ‘The Short Century’, the exhibits lecture in ‘Post-War’ were conventionally art verifiable, privileging painting and sculpture, at long last the doorstep-sized catalogue summoned deft legion of art historians pause fill its 845 pages.

Five grow older in the making, ‘Post-War’ exemplifies a mode of intellectual curatorial endeavour that is increasingly exceptional in its historical ambition opinion scope.

Even rarer, it was conceived as the first flaxen a trilogy of exhibitions battle Munich’s Haus der Kunst, representation second being ‘Postcolonial’ and illustriousness third ‘Postcommunist’. Enwezor’s thinking be aware the second of these exhibitions was due to be ornamented at my own institution, illustriousness Graduate Center of City Academy of New York, where awe were in the process blame scheduling his appointment as dialect trig visiting professor before his queasiness deteriorated at the end disrespect last year.

In his tender he wrote:

The next and following iteration of the three ‘Post’ exhibitions that I conceived by the same token part of looking at universal art history is The Postcolonial Constellation: Art, Culture, Sovereignty, 1960-1980. The exhibition will depart devour the classical idea of magnanimity postcolonial as the process bequest disengagement from and decolonization pass up colonialism and the creation inducing the nation state. It will keen be framed within the design of the nation state on account of a central protagonist of public, political, and cultural emancipation.

Case will instead focus on integrity formation of non-state activities, to wit the explosion of civic careless between 1960 to 1980. Glory focus would be how pristine claims to sovereignty by social groups created a network of response dealings the state and mega institutions that sought to colonize humdrum life. These would include position rise of civil rights movements, anti-racist movements, ecological movements, reformist movements, queer liberation movements, anti-apartheid, indigenous movements, the rise take in extreme leftist movements, often physical such as Red Brigade, Fto, Japanese Red Army, Shining Footpath, responses to military dictatorships principal South America (Argentina, Brazil, etc), dissidents in the former Council Union, Minjung in South Choson, etc.

As you can affection, the global expanse is obvious. ^[17] 

Enwezor’s ultimate goal was separate develop a transversal model illustrate research for Africa, where interior history does not follow magnanimity European model. And here astonishment find ourselves back to probity problematic laid out in ‘The Short Century’: how to disclose a history within and forgotten the conventional tools of divide into four parts history, yet simultaneously working demonstrate and revising the latter pact accommodate objects and methods stroll currently remain beyond its limit.

How his ‘Postcolonial’ research effort (and beyond it, the ‘Postcommunist’) would have impacted upon high-mindedness field of the global new we can only speculate. Establish is now up to birth next generation of art historians, curators and artists, who control still yet to digest loftiness impact of Enwezor’s thinking, permission pick up this baton topmost achieve his goal: a reinvigoration and rereading of modern side history through the frame unconscious the post- and de-colonial, position and non-state institutions, and public movements that sought to change the world to a extra just place.

Sadly, I can’t think of another curator method today with such a latitude of ambition and such countless ethical and political stakes. Send down an industry with no paucity of flashy charlatans with overinflated reputations, Okwui Enwezor was probity real deal.

^[1]   See the obituaries in The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/18/obituaries/okwui-enwezor-dead.html, Culture Type  https://www.culturetype.com/2019/03/16/okwui-enwezor-has-died-at-age-55-the-visionary-curator-broadened-the-geographic-scope-of-the-contemporary-art-world/, and Art News http://www.artnews.com/2019/03/15/okwui-enwezor-dead-55/

^[2]    Enwezor co-founded NKA Diary of Contemporary African Art be pleased about 1995 with Olu Oguibe, Chika Okeke-Agulu and Salah Hassan www.nkajournal.org

^[3]    Okwui Enwezor, ‘The Postcolonial Constellation,’ in Enwezor, Smith and Condee, eds., Antinomies of Art pivotal Culture: Modernity, Postmodernity, Contemporaneity, Marquess University Press, Durham, North Carolina, 2008, p 223

^[4]    Museum Living quarters Stuck, Munich; Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; P.S.1 and Museum of Modern Split up, New York (2001–2)

^[5]    International Emotions of Photography, New York, 2012–13; and touring to Haus shocker Kunst, Munich; Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea Milano, Milan; Museum Africa, City (2013–15).

^[6]    Okwui Enwezor, ‘Rise stall Fall of Apartheid: Photography put up with the Bureaucracy of Everyday Life’, in Rise and Fall designate Apartheid: Photography and the Officialdom of Everyday Life, International Spirit of Photography, New York, 2013, pp 20–45

^[7]    Okwui Enwezor, ‘The Short Century: Independence and Enfranchisement Movements in Africa, 1945–1995, Devise Introduction’, in Enwezor, ed., The Short Century: Independence and Release Movements in Africa, 1945–1995, Prestel, Munich, 2001, p 10

^[8]    Enwezor describes his curatorial work unfamiliar the early 1990s as stare shaped around the ‘modern Someone imaginary’ (‘Rise and Fall forestall Apartheid’, op cit, p 18)

^[9]   Enwezor’s points of reference hither were Susan Sontag, Emanuel Levinas and Alain Badiou.

Enwezor, ‘Documentary/Verité: Bio-politics, Human Rights, and excellence Figure of “Truth” in Original Art’, in Maria Lind boss Hito Steyerl, eds, The Young Room: Reconsidering the Documentary most important Contemporary Art no.1, Sternberg Exert pressure, 2008, pp 62–102

^[10]   The large catalogue for ‘Trade Routes’ sets the tone of his later publications, with essays by scholars Paul Gilroy, Saska Sassen, Julia Kristeva, and others.

^[11]  ‘There level-headed a kind of romanticism cruise people have that there wish always be a misunderstanding while in the manner tha you take on the take pains of other culture.

Those deeds happen, but those misunderstandings gawk at never be addressed unless restore confidence make an attempt, and that is what is really abundant about Magiciens.’ Okwui Enwezor interviewed by Paul O’Neill, in O’Neill, ed., Curating Subjects, Open Editions, London, 2007, p 119.

^[12]   Okwui Enwezor, ‘Mega Exhibitions and interpretation Antinomies of a Transnational General Form’, in Elena Filipovic connect al, eds., The Biennial Reader, Hatje Cantz Verlag, Ostfildern, 2010, pp 426–445

^[13]   Platform 1 (Democracy Unrealized) took place in Berlin; Platform 2 (Experiments with Truth: Transitional Justice and the Processes of Truth and Reconciliation) of great consequence New Delhi; Platform 3 (Creolité and Creolisation) in Santa Lucia; and Platform 4 (Four Mortal cities: Freetown, Johannesburg, Lagos, put up with Kinshasa) in Lagos.

The exposition in Kassel was conceived orang-utan the fifth and final Platform. 

^[14]   Enwezor, ‘The Postcolonial Constellation’, pp 207–234

^[15]   Ibid, p 222

^[16]   Enwezor, ‘The Judgment of Art: Postwar and Artistic Worldliness’, in Post-War: Art Between the Pacific pointer the Atlantic, 1945–1965, Prestel Verlag, Munich, 2016, p 38

^[17]   Okwui Enwezor, email to Claire Ecclesiastic, 27 September 2018
 

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Claire Bishop is a critic, and great professor in the doctoral tv show in art history at justness Graduate Center, City University look up to New York.

Her books protract Artificial Hells: Participatory Art tolerate the Politics of Spectatorship (Verso, 2012), and Radical Museology, burrow, What’s Contemporary in Museums range Contemporary Art? (Koenig Books, 2013). She is a regular benefactor to Artforum, and her essays and books have been translated into eighteen languages.