[Artwork/photo series by South African artist Zanele Muholi called “Somnyama Ngonyama (Hail the Dark Lioness)”]
[Artwork by Géraldine Tobe from Congo called “Vide Cantique”]
[Big wheel to artwork by Roméo Mivekannin from Ivory Coast called “The Souls of Black Folk”]
[“The Souls of Black Folk”]
[Former US President Barack Obama as part of “The Souls of Black Folk”, pull out]
Dr. Ralf Beil (interview): “The True Size Of Africa’ is trying to change our view on Africa. This might sound a big test but we are really taking this chance to do this by art and culture, by 26 installations of contemporary art. They worked especially for this show. They made works which are really opening up our minds.”
[US vice-president Kamala Harris as part of “The Souls of Black Folk”]
[Exhibition]
[South African artist Zanele Muholi called “Phila I” and “Sibusiso”]
[“Sibusiso”]
[“Olaudah Equiano” from the “Diaspora series” by Senegalese photographer Omar Victor Diop]
[“Olaudah Equiano” ]
Dr. Ralf Beil (interview): “We underestimate the whole role in history and the own history Africa had before colonialism. All this is part of this show, and this is what we aim to show, how big the influence was from African people because they were forced to leave Africa. They also spread the culture and a lot of music and dance, which we have today, is rooted in Afro global origins. So all this is kind of discussion point in this show.”
[Screen showing the size of Greenland compared to the size of Africa]
[“Thatha Konke I” by Zanele Muholi]
[“Somnyama Ngonyama (Hail the Dark Lioness)” by Zanele Muholi]
[“Somnyama Ngonyama (Hail the Dark Lioness)”, 2014-2019]
Dr. Ralf Beil (interview): “The question of Africa is a global question. If we don’t resolve the questions which are climate and migration and democracy in the real life model of Africa, then we won’t resolve it on a planetary basis. So we really should rather have also a look sometimes to something different because we have been talking about months now about American elections and now it is gone. And now we see, we have this situation we have with Mr. (Donald) Trump. So, we…I think we should really look to other spots sometimes also.”
[Video installation by Ghanaian-British artist called “Four Nocturnes”]
[Video installation Kinshasa-based artist collective, Kongo Astronauts called “The All-Vibrant”]
[Pisko Crâne and Eléonore Hellio from Kongo Astronauts]
Pisko Crâne (interview): “So for me the point is this – to convey this message: in the east of my country people are killed for coltan to make electronic devices and afterwards the waste gets taken back to Congo. The world needs to be sincere about knowing that. And as an artist in my way, I tried to convey that message via the astronauts. For me, it’s kind of like that.”
[“Dining in Chaos” by Kenyan artist Kaloki Nyamai]
[Cuban artist now based in the Netherlands, Susana Pilar Delahante Matienzo, presenting her artwork “Achievement”]
[Delahante Matienzo presenting an AI-generated photograph as part of her work “Achievement”]
Susana Pilar Delahante Matienzo (interview): “The true size of Africa is not only basically the continent, the geographical continent of Africa, but also outside expanding other places in the world – Las Americas, the Caribbean, Europe. So for me, it’s like a big family all over the world.”
[“Diaspora Series” by Omar Victor Diop from Senegal]
[Artwork by British artist Yinka Shonibare called “Woman Moving Up”]
Dr. Ralf Beil (interview): “You can really understand much more about the underestimation of Africa, which is still apparent in our world by coming over here.“
[Exhibition space as audio plays by Nigerian artist Emeka Ogboh called “The Land Remembers”. The work reinterprets the traditional German mining anthem “Steigerlied” against the backdrop of colonial and post-colonial relations between Europe and Africa. This recording was recorded especially for this exhibition by a Namibian men’s choir]
[Völklinger Ironworks, with exhibition posters on display at entrance]
This script was provided by The Associated Press.