The Divine Comedy

Paradise, purgatory and hell: the MMK Museum fur Moderne Kunst Frankfurt am Main is transforming into Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy.

Fifty artists from more than twenty African countries are taking a look at this classic of world literature. The major show is covering the museum’s entire exhibition space of 4,200 square meters, and includes twenty-three works produced explicitly for this occasion. Taking their own widely differing cultural and religious backgrounds as a starting point, the artists investigate individual thematic sequences of the Divine Comedy.

In his epic poem, Dante reflected on theological, philosophical and moral matters that still bear relevance for the issues facing society, politics and the economy today, but also questions of faith. The exhibition proceeds on the premise that Dante’s visions are applicable to many cultures and many religions.

On the three floors of the MMK, the artists present their works in various media: painting, photography, sculpture, video, installation and performance. In some cases the otherworldly realms are visualized as godless places brought to life by the power of the imagination; in other works they are associated with ideas of divinity, hope or loss. In the tenth canto of Paradise, Dante reflects on the unutterable and nameless primal force that created everything and exceeds the realm of humanity. This is where the artists take their point of departure in employing their artistic language creatively to formulate and convey unspeakable ideas.

until July 27, 2014
The Divine Comedy
curated by Simon Njami
MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt am Main
Domstraße 10, Frankfurt am Main