The role of performance art and transnationalism in African art Transnationalism and performance art are currently phenomena that have a major impact and influence on the art of the contemporary era. Notions of transnationalism and performance art play a vital role with regard to both the content of the individual works produced and the reason for which they were created. The concept of transnationalism used in the context of art classically refers to the phenomenon of flow of ideas/information, people and goods from one place to another. It is with this definition that we can observe how very different elements from distinct cultures can make the same work of art and have the capacity to interact and demonstrate fluidity. While the notion of performance art is primarily associated with viewing an artist's body as a medium, which is important because the actions the artist performs are what is considered art. According to Moma Learning (1952), performance art generally consists of "four elements: time, space, the body of the performer, and the relationship between the audience and the performer." Additionally, performance art is interdisciplinary, meaning it uses another aspect of visual art such as props or video. According to The Art Story, the purpose of performance art in association with contemporary African art is to allow artists to challenge other forms of visual art when they deem them too conservative for their intention. Using performance art allows artists to both find new audiences and test new ideas. All these intuitions mentioned above can be exhibited through the works created by the artists: Wangechi Mutu, Samuel Fosso, Yinka Shonibare and Tracey Rose. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Work A is a collage created by Wangechi Mutu in 2017 and is titled Ndoro Na Miti (Mud and Trees). This piece reflects the strength of women and their connection to the Earth. Her project is meant to challenge the specific ways in which the majority of women are represented. Wangechi Mutu states that “[women] are responsible for the fate of the Earth” (Whitewall 2017). Considering the impact of the role played by women and the current problem of climate change on the lives of everyone around the world, this work of art encompasses a multitude of important subjects. It may not be explicitly obvious that Ndoro Na Miti has elements of transnationalism, but by taking into consideration the concepts and characteristics addressed by the artwork, the transnationalist elements can then be observed. This is fundamentally due to the political issues surrounding women and the climate that are prevalent both in Kenya and where she currently resides in New York. An additional work created by artist Wangechi Mutu is work E which was created in 2017 and titled Water Woman. Water Woman is a large bronze cast that looks east and overlooks the lagoon located in Austin, Texas. The bronze casting is intended to depict a nqwa, a mythological sea nymph raised and recognized in East African folklore. Wangechi Mutu's art seems to reflect his childhood spent in Africa as well as his artistic education obtained in the West. This is how we can recognize and observe a sense of transnationalism in Wangechi Mutu's art. More specifically, it is how the myth of East Africa is central to bronze casting. The fact that an African myth iscentering a work of art in a different location than where the myth originated further reflects the notion of transnationalism and the role it plays in the unification and integration of cultures. Wangechi Mutu's art primarily reflects women's identity as well as representation and it is complemented and enhanced by the discussion of African ideals. Artwork B was created by Samuel Fosso and is titled The Chief: The One Who Sold Africa to the Colonialists (Self-portrait as an African Chief). This piece is a conceptually political self-portrait of the artist seated in a chair engulfed in large quantities of jewelry and symbolically patterned fabrics. This photograph is intended to serve as a parody of the leader who sold Africa to the colonists and is primarily illustrated and conveyed through the overabundance of materials and objects contained within the photograph. Additionally, Samuel Fosso poses with an accessory consisting of flowers and a bag and wears a pair of unique glasses. His art could be considered performance art mainly because of how in each of his self-portraits, Samuel Fosso can be identified as the center of interest because he is playing a different individual and because of the inclusion of accessories. By turning the camera towards himself and allowing himself to be at the center of the work, he offers his contemporary audience the opportunity to observe and recognize the artist's intention. An additional work created by artist Samuel Fosso is Artwork F, a photograph created in 1998 titled Liberated American Woman/A Self-portrait. This photograph shows Samuel Fosso dressed in heels, makeup, jewelry, and a women's western hat, while engulfed in a plethora of varying textiles and patterns. In this photograph, which can also be considered a work of performance art. It seems that Samuel Fosso's intention in this piece was to reshape textiles in a rebellious way in order to illuminate the concept of freedom. The juxtaposition also comes into play when we consider that Samuel Fosso is dressed in colorful "authentically African" textiles while posing as an American. This piece foregrounds the archetype of a bourgeois woman and is primarily associated with the desire and primordial demand for freedom and independence. Interestingly, this piece was created before Samuel Fosso's first visit to the United States. This further illustrates the concept of performance art by using her body and surroundings to frame her message of freedom and the characteristics of American middle-class women's lives in terms of materialistic value as well as conventional attitudes. Work C was created by Yinka Shonibare in 2013 and is called Scramble for Africa. The title alludes to the Berlin Conference of 1874 during which Africa was divided between European countries. Yinka Shonibare deliberately uses headless mannequins surrounding a large table with the map of Africa on it to illustrate the concept of colonialism as well as transnationalism. Scramble for Africa incorporates the textile product of global trade, which dresses headless mannequins. Additionally, headless mannequins are included in order to provide and evoke the overarching issue of identity as well as identity politics. These textiles are specifically called Vlisco and are originally created by the Dutch for the Indonesians, but these textiles were more accepted in Africa. Textiles ultimately became signifiers of African identity during dissociation from colonial rule. The majority of people do not know or recognize the history of these “authentic African” textiles. It therefore seems that these textiles are included in order to..