Hangar presents “A Spontaneous Tour of Some Monuments of African Architecture” by Ângela Ferreira
The Hangar – Artistic Research Center, opens on June 2, between 4 pm and 9 pm, the exhibition “A Spontaneous Tour of Some Monuments of African Architecture” by the artist Ângela Ferreira.
The Spontaneous Tour of Some Monuments of African Architecture, 2021, entitled the new work and exhibition by the artist, which is curated by Bruno Leitão and consists of an installation conceived over the last year for an unprecedented presentation at the Hangar.
The current installation results from the continued research that Ângela Ferreira develops on buildings and structures, and her creation process allowed her to “move freely between traditional architecture in Africa and the modernist architecture that remains from colonial times, but which is now integrated in the urban fabric of African cities”.
The Spontaneous Tour of Some Monuments of African Architecture expresses the decision to “work in an intuitive and cumulative way to build a series of sculptural experiments that constitute a proposal for a more inclusive view of the whole in African architecture. Towards a Panafrican architecture”.
Traditional architecture in Africa is, according to the artist, “a very old architecture with high levels of sophistication”, as well as “rich in spatiality and form, and which lends itself (in contrast to modernism) to be analyzed in a more multidisciplinary”. Also associating the way of building in Africa, “due to its use of local materials, appropriate climatic qualities and more modest costs“, with sustainable architecture practices, of a community, ecological and bioclimatic scope, which “we should all aspire to”.
The “spontaneous tour” that Ângela Ferreira proposes, also made her return to Dalaba’s house and poring for the first time in details of its interior – rounded walls, painted in blue and covered in low relief patterns, and coated ceilings for typical basketry, produced by Guinean artisans. This house was built in Guinea Conakry by South African artist and activist Miriam Makeba, also known as “Mama Africa”, and had already inspired the work Dalaba Sol d’Exil, 2019.
Another of the crossing points of the current project is the work of the couple of architects Carlota Quintanilha and João José Tinoco in Mozambique. The couple stood out, either for the “innovative modernist quality” of their work, or for the image of the private residence that they built in Cunene and that Ângela Ferreira found in an archive portrait, dating from 1953-1956. The professional activity of both was developed, mainly, for the colonial government and a clientele of settlers. However, as the artist observes, from the analysis of the portrait, they were architects “sufficiently curious and intelligent to study and realize that they were surrounded by very strong and interesting architectural traditions”. Traditions that applied to the design of your own home.
