Lost in a bright forest. Afran's solo exhibition

The personal exhibition of will be inaugurated on Saturday 1 April at the Giuseppe Scalvini Museum in Desio Afran, Lost in a bright forest. On display are paintings, sculptures and some site-specific installations, in dialogue with the ancient rooms of the Museum.

An ambitious project, created in collaboration with MA-EC Gallery which has followed Afran's artistic path for years and which enriches the long list of prestigious venues that have hosted his creations, from the Venice Biennale to the Triennale of Milano, at the Spielzeug Museum in Basel, just to name a few.

The critic writes Simona Bartolena"There is no work by this young and talented artist that does not bear traces of his thought: a solid, structured, intelligent thought. “My intent is to talk about the contradictions of our time”, he states, “In fact, our world is no longer as dark as Dante's medieval one, ours is wonderful, technological, hyper-connected; a world that was able to learn from the great wars, which tore down the Berlin Wall, but paradoxically we find ourselves in 2023 digging trenches in the most rudimentary way while at the same time monitoring enemy positions with drones". Afran's research focuses precisely on the great contradictions of our time, on the identity issues (very complex for a Cameroonian boy transplanted to Italy) that characterize contemporary society and on the unbearable spread of the need to appear, which sees in exteriority the the only idol. The choice of fabric goes precisely in this direction - Denim in particular, a fabric with a notable symbolic, democratic and modern twentieth-century value -, for Afran "a sort of zero degree", a material in which everyone can "shape" their own identity, building your own external image.

The message runs from work to work, relying on different expressive means. Afran does not scream; even his provocation is subtle, never exalted, never complacent. There is no temptation for self-celebration in his works, rather an immediacy and an honesty that is at times disarming. And so here is the game, the overlaps, the cultural contaminations, the nods to pop, the references to Western tradition and African roots, in an effective melting pot that reflects the complexity of our time, imposing on us reflections that are anything but banal .

Amazon packages that become Trojan horses to be welcomed into one's home or golden calves to be idolized, hallucinogenic mushrooms covered by the logos of the most famous social platforms, tribal masks made up of the same icons, classic statues defaced by an attempt at decoration "that ended badly" , sacred sculptures covered with elegant floral patterns... In a kaleidoscope of colors and materials, Afran projects us into a fascinating and attractive world, which holds a very precious message behind its pleasantness. A message worth reflecting on.”

Event coordinates:

Title: Lost in a bright forest. Afran's solo exhibition

Edited by Cristiano Plicato. Critical text by Simona Bartolena

Competition venue: Giuseppe Scalvini Museum, Villa Tittoni, Via Lampugnani 62, Desio

Opening: Saturday 1 April at 17.30pm

Date: from 1 to 30 April 2023
from Thursday to Sunday 10.30-12.30 and 15.30-18.00
The exhibition will be closed on Easter Sunday 9th April.

Info: info.milanart@gmail.com

www.ma-ec.it