From Africa to Atlanta
October 25, 2024At Nando’s, we’re all about taking southern African flavours and creativity to the world. In 2023, almost 90 contemporary southern African artworks from the Nando’s Collection (which comprises more than 27 000 works in total) were shown at the African American Museum in Dallas, USA, in an exhibition entitledIf You Can Look Hard Enough, You Can See Our Future. In 2024, the exhibition has travelled to the African Diaspora Art Museum of Atlanta (ADAMA), giving more of our US creativity fans an opportunity to experience it.
Located in the Pittsburgh community, a historically Black Atlanta neighbourhood, ADAMA is an innovative museum that amplifies the art and culture of the diaspora through immersive experiences, cultivating shared learning, and facilitating meaningful points of connection.
If You Can Look Hard Enough, You Can See Our Futureopened ahead of Atlanta Art Week in late September and runs through to 2 November. It’s open to the public at no cost, so if you’re in the area,grab your chance to visit.
Securing a world-class collection from Nando’s is another testament to the mission of ADAMA of making art accessible and Atlanta’s position as a cultural capital,said Dr. Fahamu Pecou, founder of ADAMA.With this exhibition, the influence of the African diaspora will be felt through the quality and variety of artmaking from the best contemporary artists in the world.
The selection of work is drawn from the collection’s strengths in portraiture, landscape, cityscapes and abstraction.
Several of the featured artists have received recent accolades.
- Zanele Muholi is a ground-breaking Black queer photographer with a current survey on display at the Tate Modern in London.
- Represented by the Stevenson Gallery in South Africa and David Zwirner in New York City and London, Portia Zvahera is a rising star who was recently featured at the 59th Venice Biennale.
- Known for transforming drawings into sculpture, film and operas, William Kentridge has two works in the exhibition.
- Profiled by CNN, Mbongeni Buthelezi (known for his innovative work created from melted plastic) is an artist activist who collects and repurposes litter into breathtaking portraits.
Link to this headingThe idea behind the exhibition
Curating an exhibition from a collection built over two decades was an idea that came to life from the late philanthropist and businessman, Dick Enthoven, who tapped his longtime friend Laurie Ann Farrell to be the curator. One of the most important curators working to offer visibility to artists from Africa and the African Diaspora to the United States for more than 20 years; Farrell served as a curator of contemporary art at The Africa Center (formerly known as The Museum of African Art) in New York City, an executive director at Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD), and curator and head of modern and contemporary art at the Detroit Institute of Art. Farrell was also the lead curator on the Mercedes-Benz Stadium art collection while at SCAD.
Farrell was named curator of the year by D Magazine (2023) for the quality and scope of the exhibition at the African American Museum, Dallas.
It’s quite meaningful to be able to curate an exhibit from such an exemplary collection and bring an impressive range of talent from the African continent to Atlanta,said Farrell,Our hope is that all who visit will experience the universal themes of humanity, love, loss and hope for a better future as illustrated by the artworks.
Home to the legendary South-African flamed-grilled PERi-PERi chicken and PERi-PERi sauces, the first Nando’s location in Greater Atlanta recently opened in the Perimeter area within the High Street entertainment district. Later in the year, a 3,500-square-foot location will open at the Forum at Peachtree Corners.
Find out more about how this exhibition was fired up in the documentary video: