The Atlantic is Black: SOLO SHOW BY RENÉ TAVARES
Current exhibition
Overview
René Tavares
Grand ma's memories, 2023
Oil, pigment, charcoal, acrylic and gold paper on raw cloth
177 x 171 cm
"My work reflects on the African diaspora and the forms of miscegenation that have occurred. It also mirrors my creative process as an artist, following the rhythm of a blending of times, places, and mediums, which dissolves the rigid boundaries between domains."– RenéTavares
In partnership with ARTCO Gallery, THIS IS NOT A WHITE CUBE is proud to present “THE ATLANTIC IS BLACK” - the first solo exhibition by São Toméan artist RENÉ TAVARES in Berlin.
Tavares‘ practice is an homage to the Austral and Atlantic Africa, which was constantly developing in exchange with the Americas. Islands like São Tomé and Príncipe were used as logistical centers, test laboratories, and production sites and thus became a marketplace for ideas and identities in the “Black Atlantic”. With this understanding, Tavares is inline with Paul Gilroy’s thesis that the cultural history of the African Diaspora is not simply African, American or European, but was created through the brutally enforced trade between these spaces across the Atlantic.
Through his diverse work, René Tavares is re-navigating these ancient routes and proposes narratives that reassess the historical significance of the African continent and its multifaceted cultural heritage. Far from Western epistemologies, Tavares layers experiences, emotions and associations in his creative pro- cess. A form of knowledge production that opens up an understanding of the contemporary exchanges within the Diaspora communities today.
Works
