African Art in Venice Forum tackles underrepresentation at Biennale

The first African Art in Venice Forum launched during the opening week of the 2017 Venice Biennale, aiming to address the underrepresentation of African artists in the event. Over fifty international speakers from institutions including Tate Modern in London and the National Gallery of Zimbabwe participated in two days of panels on May 9–10 at the Hotel Monaco in Venice. The forum was free to attend and streamed online via Streaming Museum. Organizers Neri Torcello, Azu Nwagbogu, and Azza Satti stated their goal to increase the number of African national pavilions at future Biennales. African art officially entered the Biennale only in 2007, with the Sindika Dokolo African Collection of Contemporary Art shown at the Arsenale under director Robert Storr. A precursor was the 1922 Mostra di Scultura Negra. Since 2007, African participation has grown unevenly: Angola won the Golden Lion in 2013 on its first attempt, while Kenya withdrew its pavilion two years ago. The 2015 Biennale curated by Okwui Enwezor featured eight African countries, including a debut by Nigeria. The forum's gala and Paradise Playground Party on May 9 required paid tickets to fund the project.