Why celebrated artist Baya is much more than Algeria's Picasso
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Loading... - Hamah Fuchs
- 02 May 2023
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The legacy of the world-renowned African artist, whose work symbolised liberation, is still marked by colonialism. It must be reclaimed and celebrated by her own people
The much-celebrated Algerian artist Baya recently returned to centre stage of the art world through an exhibition of her paintings at L'Institut du Monde Arabe (Arab World Institute) in Paris.
Almost 25 years after the death of an icon whose work transports you to a dazzling realm of (strictly) women, nature and emancipation - illuminated by bright colours - lively conversations about her impact continue.
An important question that continually arises is how the orientalist gaze shaped western reception to her chefs-d'oeuvre. When the background on which her masterpieces are hung is the not-so-blank and neutral Arab World Institute, it is perhaps unsurprising.
The institution, established by former French presidents, is now headed by a former minister and supporter of Israeli normalisation, Jack Lang, who not too long ago called hundreds of Arab intellectuals, artists, famous directors and public figures "sheep" for opposing the institute's relationship with Israel.
Indeed, in a month that marks Unesco's World Art Day, Baya's story reminds us that, for many artists across the Global South who were "discovered" under colonialism, their legacy is still marked by the period. Where their work is exhibited therefore continues to be a highly political matter. Read More..
