Recent Histories. Contemporary African Photography and Video Art

Recent Histories. Contemporary African Photography and Video Art from The Walther Collection unites the perspectives of 14 contemporary artists of African descent, who investigate social identity, questions of belonging, and an array of sociopolitical concerns—including migration, lineage, the legacies of colonialism and Calvinism, and local custom—as well as personal experiences in Africa and the African diaspora.

By highlighting specific creative approaches and studying the sites and collective platforms that enable these practices, this book examines the critical mass that has gathered across generations of African image-makers and lens-based artists. In accentuating different perspectives within this generation and considering the infrastructures that often link them, Recent Histories provides a point of entry to engage critically with current practices, and opens up considerations about how to conceptualise the frameworks of contemporary African photography and video art.

The Walther Collection is pleased to present Recent Histories. Contemporary African Photography and Video Art, its fourth exhibition and publication dedicated to African photography and video art. This project is the culmination of sustained research, also facilitated by virtual and digital frameworks; a three-part exhibition series at The Walther Collection Project Space in New York; and the international symposium Beyond the Frame: Contemporary Photography from Africa and the Diaspora, co-organised by The Walther Collection and Columbia University.

Artur Walther