The National Museum of African Art is the Smithsonian’s overlooked gem. Tucked in among the other great museums lining the National Mall, the entrance to the museum is a tiny square cement building that appears to have little to offer. But nothing could be further from the truth. The museum extends for three floors underground and houses some of the most colorful, exciting, and engaging art anywhere in the city.
Many people misperceive Africa to be a single entity with a common experience and cultural perspective, rather than the collection of 54 individual countries with different languages, religions, ethnic groups, and histories that it truly is. A visit to this museum will shatter any notion that there is singular style of African art.
The permanent collection displays stunning examples of traditional West and Central African ceremonial masks, carvings, and weavings in a host of natural and human motifs. There is also an impressive mix of modern media, reflecting the changing artistic expression across the continent. One piece that highlights this evolution is a golden wall tapestry made from recycled materials, by the artist El Anatsui. The tiny aluminum pieces held together by wire mimic rich flowing fabric fit for a queen.
For an engaging insight into Africa’s video art, head to the Sense of Time: Video and Film-Based Works of Africa exhibit, that’s on display until January 21, 2018. A wide range of moving images draws visitors in for an experience unlike any other in the city. Among them is Bernie Searle’s three-panel piece About to Forget, a collection of images of family groups done in red crepe paper that slowly dissolve into a wash of blood-colored water that creates a surprisingly emotional and evocative representation of the passage of time.
In Congolese artist Sammy Baloji’s Memoires a young male dancer undulates in front of a copper mine in the former Zaire’s mineral rich southeast, accompanied by the audio of old political speeches from post-colonial leaders. The juxtaposition illustrates the failure of past promises that force the Congolese people to bend and reimagine themselves in an attempt to survive.
The newest addition to the museum’s permanent collection currently on display is Kenyan artist Jim Chuchu’s Invocations, a set of video pieces depicting the journey to self-acceptance as a gay man in African culture that is both mesmerizing and beautiful.
As the breadth of the collection grows, the number of permanent works on display is set to increase significantly later this year with the opening of a newly enlarged gallery.
Finally, no visit to the museum should end without stopping by the museum gift shop. With the feel of a high-end marketplace, the vibrant and eclectic stock of jewelry, books, housewares, clothing, and children’s items is almost as enticing as the museum itself.
Whether you are already a African art fan or a novice, this is a museum that will both reaffirm and challenge your preconceived notions of the continent’s visual history.
Where: 950 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20560
Nearest Metro: Smithsonian (Blue, Orange, Silver lines)
When: open daily from 10 AM to 5:30 PM, except Dec. 25.
Admission: Free
Website: www.africa.si.edu