Africa is a large continent with a wide range of cultural
diversity, which contributes profoundly to the variation,
complexity, and sophistication of its regional art forms and styles.
This course deals with contemporary African arts in connection with
colonialism, modernity and the questions of identity. The aim of
this course is to assist students understand the relations between
these issues and the circumstances that contributed to the creation
and development of contemporary African arts. The goal of this
course also is to help students exploring and developing new
perspectives towards understanding contemporary African art forms as
they are exhibited in their own African contexts and outside their
spatial settings (e.g. Museums, art Galleries, Internet and so
forth).
The course focuses mainly on the artwork of contemporary
artists of the Republic of the Sudan as well as other contemporary
African artists inside and outside the continent. The course deals
with the emerging trends in the Sudanese art experience during the
colonial and postcolonial era to explore the hidden forces that
helped create these phenomena, which contributed to distinctive art
forms that express and emphasize group identity. Other regional
contemporary art trends in Africa will also be introduced and
investigated. The course examines a variety of genres, including
painting, ceramic, sculpture, graphic art, photography, multi-media
installation, and performing arts. Video series and slide shows will
be presented to familiarize students with contemporary Africa’s
plastic arts as well as performing arts.