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Great Lives

Sir David Adjaye on Okwui Enwezor

Great Lives

BBC

Documentary, History, Society & Culture

4.21.3K Ratings

🗓️ 24 October 2016

⏱️ 28 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

“I was astonished by the experience of standing there, where the two oceans met. I knew at that very moment this would be my concept: the meeting of worlds". Okwui Enwezor.

For centuries, the art establishment had been defined and dictated by predominantly white, wealthy, western critics and curators. Then in the early 90’s a young man who was born in Nigeria and studied Political Science in New York came onto the scene and said, ‘no more’.

With an eye for aesthetic and a burning fire of political concern, curator and educator Okwui Enwezor transformed the art world. He placed non-western art histories on an equal footing with the long-established narrative of European and North American art. He was a man with a mission, utterly confident and determined.

Sir David Adjaye, the architect perhaps best known for his largest project to date – the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of African American History and Culture - champions the ground-breaking life of Okwui Enwezor, who became both his friend and collaborator. He is joined by Chika Okeke-Agulu, one of the foremost scholars of African Art and Professor of African and African Diaspora Art at Princeton University.

Presented by Matthew Parris Produced in Bristol by Nicola Humphries

Transcript

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0:00.0

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I did feel the whole time he was watching me Yeti.

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I saw a footprint and that really gave me goosebumps.

0:16.0

Or people who knew me.

0:18.0

Emmy, I remember every secret, every lie.

0:21.0

I'm the only one who knows the truth.

0:23.0

Discover more of our biggest podcast from 2003.

0:27.0

Listen on BBC Sounds.

0:29.0

For centuries, the art establishment had been defined and dictated by the West.

0:36.0

Then in the early 1990s a young man born in Nigeria came onto the scene and said no more with an eye for the aesthetic and a burning

0:46.4

fire of political concern. Curator and educator, Oqui and Wenzo transformed the art world putting non-Western art histories on an equal footing

0:58.0

with the long established story of European and North American art.

1:02.7

He was a man with a mission, utterly confident and determined.

1:06.8

Amongst his achievements, he became the first African curator in the Venice Bienale's 120 year history. Speaking to us today from Ghana is

1:17.4

Sir David Adje, the famous architect perhaps best known for his largest project to date, the Smithsonian Institute's National

1:25.2

Museum of African American History and Culture, opened by President Obama in 2016.

1:31.8

Today, as so many generations had before, we gather on our national mall to tell an essential

1:39.6

part of our American store, one that has at times been overlooked.

1:45.0

And from the U.S. we're joined by Chika Okeke Agulu, one of the world's former scholars

1:50.4

of African art and professor of African and African diaspora art at Princeton

1:56.1

University. David you've nominated Oqui Enwezzo and he's not a distant figure from

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