Gallery 3

Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
Snap Judgements: New Positions in Contemporary African Photography
June 27, 2008-September 30, 2008

Nontsikelelo "Lolo" Veleko, Cindy and Nkuli, from “Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder,” Johannesburg, 2003-04.
Pigment print on cotton paper, 8 x 12 in. (20.3 x 30.5 cm)

The exhibition currently being held at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam consists of the work of 35 contemporary African artists. The photographs are exquisite in their brilliants colors and unique content. The art of Africa that Westerners are generally exposed to parallels stereotypical views of their culture. This exhibition pushes that barrier and is telling the world what African life is really about and what they are dealing with in the current times. Veleko, from South Africa, shows us two girls from an urban environment, displaying themselves for the camera. They both look right at the viewer as if to say, "This if Africa. This is who we are." It's a powerful image for me.