For barrister-turned-gallerist Emma Menell, the route from one career to another has been unconventional yet, paradoxically, completely logical. Raised in South Africa, her career in law went hand-in-hand with activism as she took the helm of the South African Journal on Human Rights, before choosing London to launch Tyburn, her first gallery.
Uniquely for London, the gallery seeks to promote young and established artists from emerging countries, with the owner citing the city’s infrastructure and status as a centre for global contemporary art as critical factors. Factoring in Menell’s own experience and curatorial advisor Kim Stern’s expertise in the continent, the gallery has used Africa as a jumping off point for its inaugural exhibition 'Broken English'.
The exhibition investigates the categorisation and very concept of cultural identity in an increasingly globalised and interconnected world, working with a well-travelled range of artists who have referenced their own cross-cultural experiences to question traditional notions of nationality as other continents and cultures have dominated the global cultural narrative through tradition and social media.
The artists – several commissioned specifically for the show – have worked across performance, video and photography, often using explorations into alter egos, myth, misinterpretation and storytelling to convey their message. Angolan-born photographer Edson Chagas’ series Oikonomos displays the artist with a mass-produced shopping bag over his head, a performative act exemplifying the erosion of personal identity by global consumerism. Meanwhile, Tunisian artist Mouna Karray’s powerful series Noir deals with issues of confinement, wrapping herself in a white sheet with only her hand visible to release a shutter. A metaphor for imprisonment, her act demonstrates the power individuals still possess to act under duress.
Menell has been plain in seeking to raise the profile of contemporary African artists to stand alongside their international peers. ‘My experience of art and artists across Africa led me to want to promote a deeper critical understanding of the work’, she explains. ‘The artists with whom we are working are increasingly visible in the institutional circuits of museums and biennales, but have lacked representation in London. The intention is for the place to intersect with the works to affect the meaning, so that England itself becomes a central protagonist to the issues discussed.’
The exhibition explores the catergorisation and concept of cultural identity in the face of an increasingly globalised, inter-connected world.
The exhibition is multi-media and multi-themed, using video, performance, poetry with themes of alter-egos, myth, misinterpretation and storytelling to explore the messages.
’Broken English’, exhibition view.
Gallery owner Emma Menell has placed a heavy emphasis on artists lacking western artworld attention. ’The intention,’ she says, ’is for the place to intersect with the works to affect the meaning, so that England itself becomes a central protagonist to the issues discussed.’
Noir #1, by Mouna Karray, 2013, is a metaphor for imprisonment, her act demonstrating the power individuals still possess to act under duress
'Broken English': London's Tyburn Gallery holds show of contemporary African art
Untitled (Hat On Face), by Lakin Ogunbanwo, 2013
INFORMATION
’Broken English’ is on view until 29 October
ADDRESS
Tyburn Gallery
Barrett Street
London
W1U 1BG
-
The owner of this restored Spanish Colonial home turned it into a gallery – with no social media allowedCasa Francis in LA is a private residence, but recently opened its doors to one member of the public at a time for an exhibition centred around domesticity
-
The best of Pitti Uomo 108, from guest stars to gelatoWallpaper* picks the best of the twice-yearly menswear fair, which took place in Florence this week and featured guest shows from Homme Plissé Issey Miyake and rising Italian star Niccolò Pasqualetti, as well as a Tommy Hilfiger social club and Margaret Howell gelato
-
A new Québec house blends open-plan living with far-reaching viewsThe Mountainside Residence is anchored into its sloping site by a concrete plinth, above which sits a main living space with tall ceilings and walls of glass
-
Remembering Koyo Kouoh, the Cameroonian curator due to lead the 2026 Venice BiennaleKouoh, who died this week aged 57, was passionate about the furtherance of African art and artists, and also contributed to international shows, being named the first African woman to curate the Venice Biennale
-
Inside Yinka Shonibare's first major show in AfricaBritish-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare is showing 15 years of work, from quilts to sculptures, at Fondation H in Madagascar
-
Don’t miss these artists at 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair 2024As the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair returns to London (10-13 October 2024), here are the artists to see
-
How Amy Sall is highlighting the beauty of African cinemaAmy Sall is highlighting the cultural impact of African filmmakers with ‘The African Gaze: Photography, Cinema and Power’, published by Thames & Hudson
-
Ghana’s artists celebrated in new book by Manju Journal‘Voices: Ghana’s artists in their own words’, from Manju Journal, celebrates 80 Ghanaian creatives
-
Wallpaper* contributing editor Ekow Eshun considers time, identity and cultural memory in Ghana‘In and Out of Time’, held at Gallery 1957 in Accra, Ghana, and curated by Wallpaper* contributing editor Ekow Eshun, celebrates the concept of Sankofa with artists including Malala Andrialavidrazana, Shiraz Bayjoo and Godfried Donkor
-
‘The Art of Advocacy’: Aïda Muluneh’s vivid photographs are forces for changeAt Efie Gallery, Dubai, Aïda Muluneh’s upcoming show, ‘The Art of Advocacy’ (12 January – 24 February 2023) surveys the photographer’s art as a tool for change, and debuts a new work, revealed exclusively here
-
San Francisco’s Museum of the African Diaspora reopens with Billie Zangewa and Amoako BoafoReopening for the first time since the onset of Covid-19, San Francisco’s Museum of the African Diaspora is staging epic exhibitions by Amoako Boafo and Billie Zangewa
