Design
Amid Rapid Urbanization, African Designers Emerge Front and Center
A new exhibit, "Making Africa," showcases the continent's modern—and influential—creative class.
The sidewalks and stalls of most African capital cities are littered with touristy trinkets: luminous wooden masks, photos of dreamy safari landscapes, cheap spears that Westerners must pull from their luggage at airports as they head home. The ubiquity of these "African" designs perpetuates an inaccurate perception of the continent as a society of tribal and provincial cultures—with equally antiquated art.
A more sophisticated portrayal of modern African artistry—"Making Africa: A Continent of Contemporary Design"—will open Saturday at the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany.