In preparation for the upcoming exhibition Tapping Currents: Contemporary African Art and the Diaspora, I have been doing some research on the artists and their works.
Something interesting about the contemporary African artists in the exhibition is that many of them do not live in Africa and some of them spent most of their lives outside of Africa. The theme that holds the show together is that they are all inspired in some way by the colors, politics and geography of the African continent.
One artist that has spent most of his life in the US is Odili Donald Odita. Odita was at the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati just a few weeks ago painting a site-specific installation called FLOW in their main lobby. You can watch the progress here. The work will be on view through November 2008.
Tapping Currents opens to the public this Saturday, Nov. 17 at the Nelson-Atkins. The exhibition is free.