Gavin Jantjes: To Be Free! at Sharjah Art Foundation | Photos

ArtDayME: Galleries 4, 5 and 6 Al Mureijah Art Spaces, Sharjah hosts Gavin Jantjes’s artworks from 18 November to10 Mars 2024 . “To Be Free” is the name of this exhibition which is being held by the Sharjah Art Foundation. The exhibition is curated by Salah M. Hassan, Director, The Africa Institute, and Distinguished Professor, Cornell University To Be Free! underscores pivotal phases in Jantjes' life. It explores his engagement with anti-apartheid activism in the 1970s to mid-1980s, his transformative role at art institutions in the UK, Germany and Norway and his compelling figurative portrayals of the global Black struggle for freedom as well as his recent transition to non-figurative painting. This comprehensive retrospective also provides insights into Jantjes’ curatorial initiatives, written contributions and wider advocacy, demonstrating his significant impact on both African and African diaspora art and the global contemporary art scene. Through the various threads of his career over the last 50 years, his work has transcended temporal and geographical confines and asserted the relevance of African art in global cultural dialogues.