Thomas Erben Gallery is thrilled to present historically significant works from the '90s by British artist Oladélé Ajiboyé Bamgboyé at Art Basel: Miami Beach.
On view is a selection from a series of seven, large scale, silver gelatin photographs collectively titled Defining Self Sufficiency (1993) portrays the artist in his Glasgow kitchen. Unprecedented within the history of African self-portraiture, Bamgboyé comfortably photographs himself in the nude, multiple times present in his images with the use of overlayed exposures. Surrounded by his quotidian domesticity, the artist exudes a level of ease and content, countering our usual projections onto the 'black male body', while his manifold presence points towards a multiplicity of selves.
The lens-based artist (b. 1963, Odo-Eku, Nigeria) is part of a group of Nigerian/ British artists- including Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Yinka Shonibare, Chris Ofili and the theoretician Olu Oguibe—who made their mark in London during that decade. Critically supported, Bamgboyé's work was included in Catherine David's Documenta X (1997) as well as many exhibitions foundational to the now central discourse around our relationship to 'the Other', the history and lingering effects of colonialism, and a more expansive reading of Modernism. These include, among others, In/Sight—African Photographers 1940–Present, Guggenheim (1996); Johannesburg Biennale (1997); Die Anderen Modernen, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin (1997); and The Short Century, MCAChicago and traveling (2001).
Private Days (by invitation only)
Wednesday, December 6, 2023, 11am to 7pm, First Choice VIP guests
Wednesday, December 6, 2023, 4pm to 7pm, Preview VIP guests
Thursday, December 7, 2023, 11am to 7pm, First Choice and Preview VIP guests
Thursday, December 7, 2023, 4pm to 7pm, Vernissage VIP guests
Public Days
Friday, December 8, 2023, 11am to 6pm
Saturday, December 9, 2023, 11am to 6pm
Sunday, December 10, 2023, 11am to 6pm
Miami Beach Convention Center
1901 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33139