Colonial Legacies: Contemporary Lens-Based Art and the Democratic Republic of Congo by Gabriella Nugent

Abstract

| 93 living and the dead. These objects commanded astonishment in their form and power, tran­ scending all notions of ugliness and beauty. The exhibition opened with a symposium and lectures by curator Petridis, Babatunde Lawal, and Frederick John Lamp. Friday and Wednesday evening lectures included talks by Christa Clarke, Zoë Strother, and Elyan Jeanine Hill. The Kimbell also hosted guided tours, workshops, films, book readings, and a special Juneteenth celebration. While displays did not include audiovisual interactives, patrons seemed genuinely interested in the objects and frequently revisited galleries. That said, the missed opportunity to engage visitors with additional audiovisual content could have enlivened an already dynamic collec­ tion of art, capturing a wider range of visitor demographics. Without question, The Language of Beauty in African Art at the Kimbell was one of the most important exhibitions of traditional African art in recent years. The scope and quality of objects was only surpassed by attention to detail in descriptions of cultural meanings through didactics and audio tours. The thematic approach in the arrangement of objects provided more focused comparisons of cross­cultural styles and techniques. Placing emphasis on language, and verbal expressions used to describe physical and moral beauty, allowed for deeper learning about the meaning of the art for African peoples. The Kimbell’s website featured discussions between Jennifer Casler Price and Constan­ tine Petridis, a video on the making of the exhibition, and a virtual tour. The catalogue includes contributions by Yaëlle Biro, Herbert M. Cole, Kassim Kone, Babatunde Lawal, Constantine Petridis, Wilfried van Damme, and Susan Mullin Vogel. (Constantine Petridis, ed. The Language of Beauty in African Art. The Art Institute of Chicago. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2022. 356 pp. 315 color, 30 b/w ill., $65.00).