Storytelling is an art. Not just for the skill required to craft a compelling narrative; the ability to evoke powerful emotions and immerse the audience in a moment is a creative skill. When done well, stories can connect people across borders and throughout history. Pan-Africanism seeks to do exactly that: bring together all people of African descent under a united identity pursuing a common destiny. For over a century, generations of Black and African artists, writers, philosophers and politicians have explored Pan-Africanism and contributed to its contemporary manifestation. In dual exhibitions, The Otolith Group offers a glimpse into the work of two African filmmakers. Using a combination of media, the works on view at the Art Institute and Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society are a tribute to the auteurs and an introduction to African art and stories.
Anjalika Sagar and Kodwo Eshun are the artists behind The Otolith Group. Cerebral and theoretically driven, The Otolith Group uses collaborative art projects as a tool to investigate stories and histories. Their mural “Mascon: A Massive Concentration of Black Interscalar Energy” as well as the accompanying film “Mascon: A Massive Concentration of Black Experiential Energy” do just that. The two-part exhibition is a tribute to the work of two mid-century Senegalese auteurs, Ousmane Sembène and Djibril Diop Mambéty. These prolific figures are likely unfamiliar to most Western audiences but in short, Sembène and Mambéty are seen as the fathers of African film and visual authors of African history. At a time when African countries were clamoring for independence from their colonial oppressors, Sembène and Mambéty were making films about life on the continent. By taking inspiration from the lives and works of these two directors, The Otolith Group memorializes these men while also telling diverse African stories.
The mural, “Mascon: A Massive Concentration of Black Interscalar Energy,” on view in the Griffin Court at the Art Institute of Chicago, is an atrium-sized work of collage that evokes film, theater, and African narratives. Long and narrow, the three-panel triptych is a montage of scenes and images cut directly from Sembène and Mambéty films. Building facades set against color block backgrounds are interwoven with pictures of African landscapes and people. Even though the piece is stationary, the artwork inspires movement. By weaving and stacking repeated images the visual story flows back and forth across the piece. The artwork is stationary, but it ought to be viewed in motion. Notably, the three rectangular panels are reminiscent of physical film. Spanning nearly a third of the wall and installed far above passersby’s heads, the piece is cinematic. Craning for a look makes the details of the figures and images hard to take in, but the overall effect is stunning.
