How much responsibility does the curator have to present a framework for the pieces on display, and when does she run the risk of over-explanation? Is the “curator” the person who leveraged connections to get the work on display, or the person who assembles a group of artworks that enlighten the viewer on a heretofore unknown/misunderstood topic? These aren't new questions in the field of exhibition-making, but they were certainly on my mind as I viewed these nineteen artworks hanging in the BNY Mellon Gallery of the August Wilson Center (Fig. 1). Curated by painter Osi Audu, this small exhibition debuted at the N'Namdi Center for Contemporary Art (Detroit, MI) before traveling to The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art (New Paltz, NY) and concluding at the August Wilson Center in Pittsburgh.
Those who follow contemporary African art would be familiar with the styles of the six featured artists:...