Adolphus Opara, Orise Egbe Deity of Destiny (Mrs Osun Yita) from 'Emissaries of an Iconic Religion', 2009
Review by Chloe Pantazi
On 29 July, Contested Terrains, a collective of work by four current artists based in Africa – Adolphus Opara, Michael MacGarry, Sammy Baloji and Kader Attia –will open at Tate Modern. Co-curated by Tate and the Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos, Contested Terrains promises to be a compelling and thought-provoking exhibition through its confrontation and destabilisation of particular preconceptions of Africa whilst drawing attention to the ever-expanding gulf between assumption and reality. In its vendetta with the past, the art displayed – a balanced mixture of photography, sculpture and multimedia – constitutes a redrafting of history, calling attention to the eternal problem of the present; how it has become, and may well remain, contested terrain. Contested Terrains will be held in the Level 2 gallery, an area reserved by Tate Modern for upcoming international talent.
