The Divine Comedy exhibition at MMK unites more than 60 African artists to offer us new interpretations of Dante’s masterpiece. Why is The Divine Comedy such a universal work that continues to touch people from different epoches and cultures? Why is it constantly being revisited in a contemporary key? Texts of the exhibition’s catalogue (link) allow us to better understand the substance of the encounter between the Dante’s poem and some of the most prominent artists of the African contemporary scene. Among them is the essay of the philosopher Roberto Casati titledStones, Shadows and Visions, published by Doppiozero. Following Divina Commedia africana, the dialogue between Simon Njami and Elio Grazioli, this essay allows us to go even deeper into the exhibition’s behind-the-scenes.
Casati focuses on the fundamental point of establishment of a relationship between the narrative and the reader, between the past, when it was written, and the present, when it’s being reinterpreted in various cultural contexts and scenarios. The Divine Comedy is above all a story about a journey of a man. The scholar compels us to be transported to the space where the actions take place. We have to let ourselves go and live “the here and now” of the story, to immerse ourselves and become open to what Casati defines as “the spontaneous understanding of the world”. We should suspend disbelief and abandon restrictive rational tools to create empathy with Dante, who through his actions tries to comprehend a bit more of the world around him. This is just a taste of the original interpretation offered by Casati, which we invite you to examine more in depth in the complete version of the essay (in Italian and inEnglish).
The Divine Comedy is an universal work, which continues to engage us regardless of time and cultural differences. To write it the author took the historical, theological and artistic knowledge/threads and wove them into the story of man’s experience, at times flawed and imperfect, confronting a world that he does not know and cannot explain or comprehend. The reader, the scholar, the director or a contemporary artist can keep on repeating this experience endlessly. The African artists that participate in The Divine Comedy exhibition invite us to retrace Dante’s familiar path through new eyes and discover new forms of contemporary culture.
Roberto Casati’s essay Stones, Shadows and Visions is published in the catalogue “The Divine Comedy- Heaven, Purgatory and Hell Revisited by Contemporary African Artists” (published by Kerber Verlag) on invitation from the curator Simon Njami. It’s kindly offered by the author tolettera27 for the Doppiozero publication. lettera27 e Moleskine are the partners of The Divine Comedy exhibition, currently taking place at MMK Frankfurt and open to public until July 27th, 2014.
Claude Bunny Massassa is a contemporary artist from Gabon. She created Bunny Studio in 2016, a start-up dedicated to photography production, which became DWABI Studio in 2021. As an artist, she has represented Gabon in many international exhibitions in Senegal, Uganda, France, the United States, and Italy. In her art, she denounces social stigmas around issues of identity and mental health, and explores themes of traditions and myths.
Executive Director Kimberly Aceves- Iñiguez has been passionately committed for over 20 years to social justice organizing and advocacy efforts that bring voice and power to youth, LGBTQ people, people of color, and working-class communities in the Bay Area. Before coming on as the Executive Director for RYSE, Kimberly served as the Executive Director for Youth Together, the founding organization of the RYSE Center.
Kanwarpal Dhaliwal is one of the co-founders of RYSE and currently acts as the Associate Director. She supports and guides the implementation and integration of healing-centered practices, grounded in racial justice and liberation, and also develops, promotes, and advocates for policies, investments, practices, and research that enliven healing, justice, and liberation. Kanwarpal believes that the purpose of her work and life is to contribute to movements, communities, and legacies of liberation that honor the ancestors who fought for her existence and survival, and to forge a world that is just and gentle for future generations.
Sagal Ali is the founder and executive director of SAF. After a few years in her career in heritage protection in the cultural sector, she decided to develop the initiative to directly support young creatives in Somalia by launching her own foundation. She hopes to bridge the social gaps and inequalities women face in Somalia, both in society and in the arts scene.
Co-founders Catherine Dunga and Marleen Palmaers created Kitambo to bridge the gap between the African diaspora in Colombia and the narratives from the continent. From Kinshasa and Antwerp respectively, they work to connect African artists from the continent and their peers from the Colombian diaspora.
Martha Kazungu is a curator, art Historian and Founder of Njabala Foundation, an organization that curates periodic exhibitions and organizes a public program of activities to create a safe space for female artists to thrive and blossom.
Alicia Hansen is a photographer and teacher from New York. She founded NYC SALT in 2008 and, beyond teaching valuable creative skills to her students, has developed a long-term support system to uplift them through school and into their early artistic careers.
