‘No matter whether the contributors are discussing film, fashion, identity, colonialism, the mirage of cultural authenticity or painting, Reading the Contemporary proves itself to be a valuable compendium of critical thought on the ever shifting, mutating cultural movement.‘ (Calvin Reid, Publishers Weekly)

There has been a wave of interest in contemporary visual culture from Africa over the past decade. Several major exhibitions have taken place in museums and galleries, especially in Europe and America, and contemporary art from Africa has featured in a number of international biennials and other key forums.

Edited by Olu Oguibe and Okwui Enwezor, Reading the Contemporary provides an invaluable context for viewing contemporary visual art and culture.

This pioneering anthology brings together twenty-two key essays in which major critical thinkers, scholars and artists explore African contemporaneity with lucidity and depth, locating it within the streams of current cultural debates and the context of the continent’s peculiar history.

The essays cover a range of subjects including African art, cinema, photography, as well as laying out theoretical and critical frameworks for engaging with contemporary African visual culture.