![\"Africa](\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Park_Park_2015_06_26_Louisiana_Afrika_041.jpg\")
Africa \u2013 Architecture, culture and identity, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, photo by Ulrik Jantzen<\/p>\n Africa \u2013 Architecture, culture and identity, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, photo by Ulrik Jantzen<\/p>\n
Having previously explored the Nordic and Arab spheres in its Architecture, Culture and Identity series, Louisiana Museum in Denmark concludes its trilogy with Africa. Together with the expertise of international artists such as Sammy Baloji and architects such as David Adjaye, the exhibition focuses on current architectonic solutions that involve cooperation with the local community. The show features a number of actual-size architectural installations, as well as art, photography, and film that reflect alternative narratives about African culture and history. Co-curator Mathias Ussing Seeberg discusses this fresh multifaceted approach.
\nWhat made you start the whole project and who\u2019s been involved?<\/b> \nThe exhibition has been planned for many years together with New Nordic and Arab Contemporary. The idea was to look at these different parts of the world, starting with our own, and discuss if one could detect local and regional differences or if architecture today is only defined by \u201cinternationalism\u201d. We didn\u2019t collaborate with other institutions, but have relied heavily on experts and consultants to shape the exhibition.
\nThe Triennale in Milan or Haus der Kunst in Munich have offered similar exhibitions \u2013 how is yours different?<\/b> \nOur exhibition differs quite a bit from the two other exhibitions in that we have an interdisciplinary approach. The other two were hardcore architecture and we\u2019re focusing on the continent\u2019s rich cultural complexity.<\/p>\n
![\"Africa](\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/L5_2015_06_26_Louisiana_Afrika_0861.jpg\")
Africa \u2013 Architecture, culture and identity, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, photo by Ulrik Jantzen<\/p>\n
African-born architects such as David Adjaye create innovative buildings around the world and on the continent itself there\u2019s breathtaking architecture, like The Bibliotheca Alexandrina. How do you see this development?<\/b> \nThe architecture we are mainly interested in is for the people. It is often young architects working across the continent in close collaboration with the future users \u2013 this is an interesting trend that we can learn from. However, in general you can always say, whether it is Denmark or Zambia, that there is a genuine danger in architecture widening the gap between those who are privileged and those who are not.
\nWhen it comes to housing and creating cities in a different way, do architects mostly consider working with the continent\u2019s own resources independently from Western countries?<\/b> \nYou can find all sorts of projects and the funding for them varies greatly. But I think that the stories we tell, the projects we show, are rooted in the local context and see its criteria for success much more in architecture\u2019s ability to add fundamental quality to a given reality than the shape of the building.<\/p>\n
![\"Africa](\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/V2_2015_06_26_Louisiana_Afrika_256.jpg\")
Africa \u2013 Architecture, culture and identity, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, photo by Ulrik Jantzen<\/p>\n
The countries on Africa\u2019s western coast, in particular, have been experiencing flourishing economies driven by oil, gas or precious metals. Is there a link between that and the innovative building boom across the continent?<\/b> \nNo doubt that Africa has many booming economies and no doubt a lot is being built as a result of this, but I also think that most of the architecture funded by this sort of money is in that so called \u201cinternational style\u201d.
\nDid you visit all the buildings featured in the exhibition? Where are they located?<\/b> \nWe have visited some countries but have relied much more on people who have travelled more than we could ever do. The architecture we show is both in the cities, upgrading informal settlements, and in rural areas, re-interpreting the vernacular architecture.<\/p>\n
![\"Africa](\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/V6_2015_06_26_Louisiana_Afrika_196.jpg\")
Africa \u2013 Architecture, culture and identity, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, photo by Ulrik Jantzen<\/p>\n
Are there similarities between African and Western architecture? How do they connect?<\/b> \nYes, there are similarities. What is great about these projects is that they are globally oriented, but locally rooted. Often the buildings we focus on are made by materials found nearby, as you also see it in vernacular architecture. Africa \u2013 Architecture, culture and identity, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, photo by Ulrik Jantzen Having previously explored the Nordic and Arab spheres in its Architecture, Culture and Identity series, Louisiana Museum in Denmark concludes its trilogy with Africa. Together with the expertise of international artists such as Sammy Baloji and architects such as David…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":22977,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[81],"tags":[2885,2886,1071,2887,2888,2889,2890],"class_list":["post-22957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fashion","tag-africa-architecture","tag-annika-hatje","tag-architecture","tag-culture-and-identity","tag-denmark","tag-louisiana","tag-mathias-ussing-seeberg"],"acf":{"main_category":null,"legacy":"1","exclude_from_ads":null,"hero_title":null,"subtitle":null,"hero":null,"teasers":null,"facebook_image":null,"related_articles":null,"next_article":null,"sleek_card_focus":null,"content":null},"yoast_head":"\n
\nWhat\u2019s the core message Louisiana Museum is sending out with this exhibition?<\/b> \nI think we appreciate complexity more and the exhibition gives you an understanding of a complex and rich continent, which we should all spend more time investigating (not in the colonial manner) for our own sake \u2013 there is a lot we can learn.
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\nInterview by Annika Hatje<\/strong><\/strong> \n“Africa – Architecture, Culture and Identity\u201d is on show at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark, until 25 October 2015<\/strong> \n
\nMore<\/strong> Lives on Wire: An interview with Eloise Hawser<\/strong><\/a>
\nMehr: Cult of the Grotesque: Tianzhuo Chen at Palais de Tokyo<\/a><\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"