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Saturday, 17 April, 2010 11:44 PM

'Through African Eyes' exhibit is now open at the DIA

DETROIT -- The new exhibit "Through African Eyes: The European in African Art, 1500 to Present" opens today at the Detroit Institute of Arts. A total of over 100 art pieces and objects made of wood, ivory, metals and textiles are included in this exhibit. The DIA serves as the opening venue for this exhibit, which will go on a tour across the country. Admission to the exhibit is FREE on Fridays, otherwise the charge is $12 and it includes admission to the entire museum.

The exhibition casts the European as the cultural "other" and this reversal of the usual Euro centric perspective indicates that this exhibit is thought-provoking. Art pieces included in the exhibit poke fun at whites as being classified as the "other." African voices are included in the exhibit with strategies to reinforce that the conclusions are the opinions expressed by Africans themselves.

Graham W. J. Beal is the Director and CEO of the Detroit Institute of Arts.

"We are an art museum and we show African art in a long tradition really of western looking at art almost directly through the prism of French modernism," Beal said. "This is Nii's brainchild, he was working on it when he came here in 2002. We are seeing the fruits of it. There is no word for art in sub-saharan African languages. Nii has very, very strongly contextualized the African art that you will see, both in our permanent collection and in Through African Eyes, that takes a comprehensive look at over 500 year interaction between Europeans and mainly west Africans. Some of it humorous, some of it tragic and many shades of emotions in between."

The exhibit received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Dr. Nii Quarcoopome is the curator of the exhibit and the DIA's head of the department of Africa, Oceania & Indigenous America.

"The exhibition Through African Eyes uses art to tell the story of the cross-cultural interactions that occurred between Africans and Europeans over five centuries or more," Quarcoopome said. "The Detroit Institute of Arts brought together about 100 objects, some of the finest Africans woods in wood, ivory, metals and also in fibers. These works manifest their changes that took place as well as document the interactions between Africans and Europeans through this period."

Art pieces within this exhibit come from the DIA's collection and the collections of major museums worldwide.

"This exhibition has benefited enormously from the support of curators of museums in Europe as far away as Hong Kong, and also Africa and North American museums," he added. "We've also had tremendous support from private collections across the world. Perhaps this will be the only opportunity for you to see these objects. Some past exhibitions have dealt with the issue of the European and African art. But none has done it the way the DIA has done it this year. As you go through the exhibition, you will find essays from African literature, especially works and poems and novels that were written by African."

One of the most interesting pieces within the exhibit is the last art piece in the exhibit. It is a tapestry-like composition that is made from bottle tops that have been woven together.

"It looks really, really fantastic," Quarcoopome said. "When you look at it from afar, it doesn't occur to you that this is aluminum parts that have been put together. Getting close to it and seeing bottle tops from different beverages that were being sold in southern Nigeria that the artist picked up to use clearly sends a very powerful message about consumerism. That has been a very big part of African culture. I think this is a wonderful ending to the show."

Another unique art piece is a replica of a beaded crown worn as a wig by a British magistrate or judge. It is made of embroidered glass beads and burlap. The crown has a cone at the top connects the piece to traditional authority.

Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for groups of 15 or more, $6 for youth aged 6-17 and FREE for DIA members. Price includes museum admission and a multimedia tour. Purchase at the DIA Box Office, at dia.org, or by calling 1.866.DIA.TIXS (1.866.342.8497). A $3.50 handling charge applies to all nonmember tickets, except those sold at the DIA. Advanced purchase of timed tickets recommended. Final admission into the exhibition is one hour prior to closing. The DIA is located at 5200 Woodward Avenue in Detroit.

PHOTO BY JASON RZUCIDLO / AMERICAJR.com

Pendant (Portuguese Man Riding a Horse), 1700s-1800s, copper alloy by an unknown artist in Nigeria.

PHOTO BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com

PHOTO BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com

Beal said: "Nii has very, very strongly contextualized the African art that you will see, both in our permanent collection and in Through African Eyes, that takes a comprehensive look at over 500 year interaction between Europeans and mainly west Africans. Some of it humorous, some of it tragic and many shades of emotions in between."

PHOTO BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com

Dr. Nii Quarcoopome is the curator of the exhibit and the museum's department of Africa, Oceania & indigenous Americas.

PHOTO BY JASON RZUCIDLO / AMERICAJR.com

Quarcoopome said: "Some past exhibitions have dealt with the issue of the European and African art. But none has done it the way the DIA has done it this year."