Lakin Ogunbanwo at Red Hook Labs

Lakin Ogunbanwo’s latest series of photographs will form part of the group exhibition Nataal: New African Photography at Red Hook Labs in New York. The group show, which runs from 7 to 15 May 2016, features six contemporary photographers from Africa and its diaspora. The works of the selected artists, both emerging and internationally recognised, express the diversity of narratives informing the continent’s rich visual language today. The exhibition explores multiple themes that challenge accepted notions of belonging and identity; the everyday and the fantastical; the past and the future; the public and the private.

A debut curatorial collaboration between Red Hook Labs and global media platform Nataal, the show encompasses documentary, fashion and portrait photography. Through the lens of these rising talents, we hope to tell universal and inspiring stories that traverse 21st century Africa and beyond.

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Michael Taylor at M Contemporary

WHATIFTHEWORLD is pleased to announce Michael Taylor’s second solo exhibition at M Contemporary in Sydney Australia. The exhibition titled Jungle Husband will be on display from 7 to 29 May 2016.

In his portraits, Taylor explores notions around masculinity, selfhood, and personal mythology. Themes of disillusionment, escapism, solitude, and longing, were important for the artist’s own interpretation of Stevie Smith’s poem, of which the paintings are based on. Contradicting the idealized image of a husband, this character represents an antihero for Taylor.

Taylor’s jungle husband is alone in his wilderness, except for the company of an imaginary friend, and the occasional appearance of the devil. Dressed confidently, he seems familiar and at ease with the nature of things in his private world. He is, in Taylor’s depiction, the jungle’s husband.

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Moffat Takadiwa & Mohau Modisakeng at WAM

WHATIFTHEWORLD is pleased to announce the participation of Mohau Modisakeng and Moffat Takadiwa in the group exhibition When Tomorrow Comes.

When Tomorrow Comes is currently on show at the Wits Art Museum in Johannesburg until the 29th May, after which it will move to the Michaelis Galleries in Cape Town from 11 July to 5 August. Other exhibiting artists include Jane Alexander, Willem Boshoff, Steven Cohen and Michael Macgarry amongst others.