Unusual film productions are John Akomfrah’s medium. In this solo exhibition, three of his works offer provocative visions of the past, present, and future. Tropikos is set in the 16th century and offers a careful look at how Africans and Europeans interacted at this time of extreme change in human history. Vertigo Sea is presented on multiple screens, creating an epic voyage around the world to witness both aquatic grandeur and tragedies at sea. Mixing archival and recent footage, graceful underwater scenes collide with traumatic moments of damage we do to other species and to ourselves. The Last Angel of History was conceived in the early days of the internet, and features a data thief who sets out to find keys to the future by interviewing visionary artists and space explorers.
Image: Film still from Vertigo Sea, 2015, John Akomfrah, three channel HD colour video installation, 7.1 sound, 48 minutes 30 seconds, (AKOM150001), © Smoking Dogs Films; Courtesy Lisson Gallery.
May 3, 2020, 6:00 PM
