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Performance, photography, fashion and videos provided the right
mixture for the “Pret-a-partager” exhibition which closed on July 18, at three
venues, namely: Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA) Yaba; African Artist
Foundation (AAF), Ikoyi; and the Exhibition Hall of the Yaba College of
Technology – all in Lagos.

This potpourri of art takes things out of their everyday use and
sends them spinning in works that not only show the ingenuity of the artists,
but also address important issues. With Dakar providing the backdrop in terms
of inspiration for this body of work, the project is presently touring Africa.

The exhibition which docked on the Nigerian artscape for 12 days
before continuing on its journey around Africa, provided another watershed for
contemporary art on the continent, offering a platform for artists in Africa
and the Diaspora to share what they had learnt from the “Pret-a-partager”
workshop, held in November 2008. The exhibition’s title effectively
communicates the purpose of the art workshop, as the French phrase
‘Pret-a-Partager translates literally as “Ready to share.”

Organised by the CCA in collaboration with AAF and Goethe
Institut, the exhibition is a continuation of CCA’s documentation of 50 years
of Nigeria’s independence. The show was also in tune with the present focus of
the centre: Art, Fashion and Identity. The presentation of the exhibition at
three different locations created an opportunity for art enthusiasts on both
the Lagos Mainland and Island to appreciate the works without having to go across
the Lagoon.

Featuring 17 artists from Africa and Europe, the exhibition was
the result of a ten-day workshop that covered various genres of art. The
artists – from Berlin, Kinshasa, Dakar, London, Stuttgart, Douala, Hamburg and
Johannesburg – put up works that will be on display around Africa for two
years. Inspired by movement, sport, fashion and ideas borrowed from Dakar and
its environs, the concept of Cultural transference informs works such as ‘The
White Jumpsuit’, which was designed by Ghanaian Zohra Opoku. A fashion designer
based in Hamburg, Opoku was inspired by the Brazilian dance/martial art,
Capoeira.

Ndiaga Diaw, who hails from Senegal, is another artist who
pushes the imagination by incorporating not only Capoeira movements in his
creative work, but also the versatility of fashion. The outfit he designed can
be worn in six different ways. Astrid S. Klein uses Opoku’s and Diaw’s designs
in her performances in empty movie theatres, as a way of exploring the economic
and social changes transforming the cityscape of Dakar.

Fashion designer Zille Homma Hamid takes West African fashion as
her inspiration and uses its vibrant colours in the traditional, hand-woven
materials from Senegal. She uses the fabrics to design a coat that can also
double as a Muslim praying mat. Another Senegalese, Naffisatou Diop, plays with
the idea of hiding and covering things through her textile designs. Her
lingerie creations are exciting aesthetic statements on body and gender
politics. The work of fashion designer Ule Barcélos looks at the enhancement
and creative redesigning of cheap clothes and footwear with the use of logos
and decorations, a widespread practice among less privileged children and youth
in the urban centres of African cities.

Photographer Lolo Veleko captures the fashion of the streets and
the cityscapes through her lens in different light conditions. Lambert Mousseka
constructs rather uncomfortable “work trousers” incorporating the closed ends
of calabashes as the buttocks. In so doing he makes evident the central idea of
works that do not receive the recognition they deserve in a world of globalized
labour.

A video installation by the Cameroonian artist, Goddy Leye,
addresses the loss of childhood innocence as a result of human trafficking,
prostitution and forced marriage. Mamadou Gomis and Germany-based Akinbode
Akinbiyi document the processes involved in these works. They also make
available the behind the scenes images, so that viewers may better appreciate
the work processes of the artists. Akinbiyi’s black and white photos capture a
number of creative moments during the workshop.

Another exhibitor was Friedrich M. Ploch, who built an installation from
objects found on the beaches of Dakar, creating a reminder of the fragility of
every moment. In his performance, Philip Metz explores the image of the
“typical African” from both German and Senegalese perspectives; while South
African performer and video artist from, Athi-Patra Ruga, offers himself as a
‘Lamb that takes away the sins’ of the largely homophobic West Africa. The
exhibition fashioned a strong, intricate a link that connects world
contemporary art with the Nigerian art scene.