Simon Njami

**Simon Njami** (dem born am 1962 insyd Lausanne) be a writer den an independent curator, lecturer, art critic den essayist.

## Career

### Writing
Njami publish ein first novel "Cercueil et Cie" insyd 1985, follow by "Les Enfants de la Cité" insyd 1987, den "Les Clandestins" den "African Gigolo" insyd 1989. He wrep biographies of James Baldwin den Léopold Sédar Senghor, chaw short texts, scripts give cinema, den documentary films.

Njami be de co-founder of Revue Noire, a journal of contemporary African den extra-occidental art, wey na he be visiting professor for de University of California, San Diego.

## Publications by Njami

* Cercueil et Cie, novel, Lieu Commun, Paris, 1985
* Les Enfants de la Cité, novel, Gallimard, Folio Junior, Paris, 1987
* African Gigolo, novel, Seghers, 1989
* Les Clandestins, novel, Gallimard, Folio Junior, Paris, 1989
* James Baldwin ou le devoir de violence, biography, Seghers, Paris, 1991
* C'était Senghor, biography, Fayard, Paris, 2006

## Exhibitions (dem select)
* "I've been abducted hundreds of times", a solo show by Gosha Ostretsov, curate by Simon Njami, Venice Biennale, Palazzo Nani Bernardo, May–June, 2017.
* Afriques Capitales, La Villette, Paris, den Gare Saint-Sauveur, Lille, France, March - September, 2017.
* "The City in the Blue Daylight", Dak'art, The Dakar Biennale, 2 May - 3 June 2016
* Santu Mofokeng, Mets Solo, Fondazione Fotografia Modena, March 2016
* Something Else, Off Biennale Cairo, 2015
* Après Eden, Maison Rouge, Paris, 2015
* Xenopolis, Deutsche Bank KunstHalle, Berlin, 2015
* The Divine Comedy: Heaven, Purgatory and Hell Revisited by Contemporary African Artists, MMK (Museum für Moderne Kunst), Frankfurt am Main, 2014 - SCAD Museum, Savannah, USA, 2014-2015 - Smithsonian Institution/ African Art Museum, Washington, 2015
* WIR SIND ALLE BERLINER: 1884–2014, SAVVY Contemporary, Berlin, Germany, 15 November 2014 – 28 February 2015
*Portrait of Marrakech, Magnum Photos and Marrakech Museum for Photography and Visual Art (MMP+), 2013
*Art at Work, co-produce by de Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, Co-curator plus David Adjaye, Kampala, Ouganda, 2012.
*Dokolo/Revue Noire Collection, Bamako encounters, 2011
*Moataz Nasr, Chain reaction, Chateau de Blandy, France, 2011
*Art at Work, co-produced by the Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, Co-curator plus David Adjaye, Ouagadougou, Addis Ababa, 2010
*A Collective Diary, Herzilya Museum, Israel, 2010
*Fiction#3, Bili Bidjocka, Abbaye de Maubuisson, France, May 2010
*A useful dream, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, June 2010
*As you like it (First African contemporary art fair), Johannesburg, March 2008
*Artistic director of de Luanda Triennale, sept/dec 2010
*Artistic Director of Picha (Lubumbabshi biennale), Oct 2010
*Artistic director of SUD (Douala triennale), dec 2010
*Ordinary pain, Noorderlicht festival Groningen, September 2009
*Made in Africa, The Dokolo Collection, National Museum, Nairobi, 2009
*Beyond the Desert, Darb 1718, Cairo, 2009
*Co-Curator of the First African Pavilion at the 52e Venice Biennale, 2007
*The Invention of memory, Réunion Island, September 2007
*Chief curator of the VIIe Rencontres de Bamako, November 2007
*L'image révélée, Tunis, 2006
*Cities scape, ARCO 2006
*Chief curator of les Rencontres africaines de la Photographie, Bamako, 2005
*Africa Remix, Düsseldorf, Londres, Paris, Tokyo, Stockholm, Johannesburg, 2004/2007
*Un prisme lucide – photographies, Biennale de São Paulo, São Paulo, 2004
*Chief curator of les Rencontres africaines de la Photographie, Bamako, 2003
*Up and Coming, ARCO, Madrid, 2003
*Co-commissaire de Next Flag, Bruxelles, Zürich, 2002
*Chief curator of les Rencontres africaines de la Photographie, Bamako, 2001
*Le temps de l'Afrique, Las Palmas, 2000, Madrid, 2001
*Biennale d'Art contemporain de Dakar (co-curator), Dakar, mai 2000
*L'Afrique par elle-même, photographies (co-curator), Paris, São Paulo, Londres, Bamako, Washington, Berlin, Cape Town, 1998/1999
*Traces of Identity, photographies, Toronto, 1997
*Suites Africaines (co-curator), Couvent des Cordeliers, Paris, 1997
*Die Andere Reise, Vienne, 1996
*Otro Pais, Las Palmas, Palma de Majorque, Barcelone, 1995
*Paris Connection, Paris/San Francisco, 1991
*Ethnicolor, Paris, 1987

## Texts den co-editions (selection)
*Ethnicolor, he edit plus Bruno Tilliette, Autrement, Paris, 1987
*El Anatsui, un artiste sur le fil de l'histoire, insyd El Anatsui, A Sculpted History of Africa, October Gallery, Saffron Books, London, 1998
*Remembrance of things Past, Ten years of debate about African Contemporary Art, Tobu Museum of Art, 1998
*Co-editor den co-author of Rotimi Fani-Kayodé et Alex Hirst, Photographs, Revue Noire/Autograph, Paris/Londres, 1996
*Co-editor of Pierre Verger, Le Messager, photographies, Revue Noire, Paris 1993, DAP, New York, 1996
*Co-editor den co-author of de Anthology of African Photography, Revue Noire, Paris, 1997, DAP, New York, 1999
*L'invention de la vie, insyd Peut-on être vivant en Afrique, Presses Universitaires de France, 2000
*Der Kurator als Nackter König, Kontextualisierung und Dekontextualisierung, insyd de catalogue South meets West, Kunsthalle Bern, 2000
*Les Spores de l'étamine, insyd de catalogue of de exhibition Afriques, Barcelona, 2001
*Chroniques d'un millénaire / Chronicles of a Millennium, introduction au catalogue des IVè Rencontres de la Photographie Africaine de Bamako, Eric Koehler, Paris, 2001
*Pascale Marthine Tayou, Between einself den de Other, plus Pierre-Olivier Rollin, text for the documenta 11, publish by de Communauté Wallonie-Bruxelles, 2002
*Das doppelte glück der sanftmut und der bitterkeit, insyd de catalogue of Africa Apart, NGBK, Berlin, 2002
*A certain View of Mankind, for de exhibition Portraits of Pride, Samuel Fosso, Seydou Keita, Malick Sidibé, Moderna Museet Stockholm, Raster Forlag, 2002
*Cronicas del hijo de un siglo, Espacio C, Camargo, 2002
*El Corazon de las luces, insyd Planeta Kurtz, Random House Mondadori, Barcelona, 2002
*Jane Alexander, A Turbulent Silence, introduction to de catalogue of Daimler Chrysler Award, Hatje Cantz, 2002
*Co-curator den co-author of BLINK, photographies, Phaidon Press, London, 2002
*Co-editor den co-author of de Antholoy of XXth Century African Art, Revue Noire, Paris, 2001, DAP, New York, 2002
*Lettre à une jeune fille, insyd Babylon Babies – Marie-Jo Lafontaine, Hatje Cantz, 2003
*Memory in the Skin, Looking both Ways catalogue, Museum for African Art, New York, Snoeck, Gent, 2003
*Mozart and Me, Fernando Alvim – the Psychoanalysis of the World, Ingrid Mwangi, 2003
*The End of the Empire, catalogue de l'exposition Happiness, Mori Art Museum, Tankosha Publishing Co, Kyoto/Tokyo, 2003
*Le mystère révélé/ The Mystery revealed, introduction au catalogue des V Rencontres de la Photographie Africaine de Bamako, Eric Koehler, Paris, 2003
*Zineb Sedira, An Assumed Autobiography, Corner House, London, 2004
*A Young Woman in Quest, the work of Loulou Cherinet, catalogue Biennale de Sydney, 2004
*Chaos et Métamorphose, introduction à l’exposition Africa Remix, Hatje Cantz, 2004
*Claude Rosticher : la poésie à l’œuvre, Monaco, 2004
*Editor of L’Afrique en regards, une brève histoire de la photographie, Filigranes, Paris, 2005
*Amal Kenawy, catalogue de la Biennale de Sydney, 2005
*L'image révélée, catalogue of exhibition, 2006
*Introduction to Youssef Nabil's works (catalogue), 2007
*Introduction to Ghada Amer's works, 2007
*Introduction to Moataz Nasr's works (catalogue), 2008
*Introduction de Andrew Tshabangu's works (monograph), 2008
*Introduction to Ingrid Mwangi's works (catalogue), 2008
*The constant Gardner, an introduction to Mechac Gaba's work, 2009
*Un mystère à conserver (on de French photographer Laurence Leblanc.), 2009
*Une illusion sophistiquée (on de Ethiopian photographer Aida Muluneh), 2009
*Street Urchin, works by Kiluanji Kia Henda, Steidl, Germany, 2010
*Dorian Gray in Bangui, works by Samuel Fosso, La Fabrica/Revue Noire Publishers, France, Spain, 2010
*Me and Ms A., Exhibition book of Jane Alexander's works, 2010
*Yinka Shonibare, MBE : le masque transparent, Exhibition book of Yinka Shonibare's Works, Nouveau Musée National de Monaco, 5 Continents, 2010
*Editor of the artist's book, Moataz Nasr, The other Side of the Mirror, Gliori publishers, 2010
*Samuel Fosso, a dandy in Bangui, Revue Noire/La Fabrica, 2011
*The Impudence of the Stars, in Light Years, an exhibition of de Spanish artist Eugènia Balcells, Edicions de l'Eixample, Barcelona, 2012
*The Re-enchantment of the World, an introduction to de work of de Congolese artist Pume, Revue Noire, Paris, 2012
*Stabat Mater, an introduction to de work of de Haitian artist Mario Benjamin, Revue Noire, Paris, 2012
*Fictional Faculties, IUAV, University of Venice, Venice, 2012
*Invisibility, Fondazione di Venezia, Venice, 2012
*Sam Nhlengethwa, Variations on a thème, 2012
*Ananias Léki, Fragments, Goethe-Institut Nairobi, 2012
*Allons enfants !, in Intense Proximité, Une anthologie du Proche et du Lointain, La Triennale, 2012
*Of Curating and Audiences/ Art at Work, 2012
*Zwelethu Mthethwa, a contemporary myth, Revue Noire/La Fabrica, 2012
*Issa Samb (The stranger), Word ! Word ? Word !, edit by Koyo Kouoh, Office for Contemporary Art Norway (OCA) den Raw Material Company, 2013
*Imagined Communities, in Condition Report, Symposium on Building Art Institutions in Africa, edit by Koyo Kouoh, Hatje Cantz den Raw Material Company, Dakar, 2013
*The Burst of Silence, in Deutscher Pavilion 2013, 55th International Art Exhibition, edit by Susanne Gaensheimer, Gestalten, 2013
*Heaven can wait, introduction to de catalogue of de photographer Thabiso Sekgala, 2014
*Le cœur absolu, on de V12 Laraki by Eric Van Hove, monography, Marrakech, 2014
* Le prince à la tour abolie, Thierry Fontaine, L'invention d'une île, 2014

## Cinema den documentary films

* Balck Micmac (collaboration), a film by Thomas Gilou, 1986
* Black Power, Black Music: a documentary film insyd a thematic evening he wrep den direct plus Jean-François Bizot, Arte, 1994
* Le complot d'Aristote (screenplay), a film by Jean Pierre Bekolo, 1996
* Lhoooby, documentary on African Contemporary Art, he co-direct den wrep plus Pascale Marthine Tayou den Jean-Loup Pivin, Arte, 1997
* Le Président, a film by Jean Pierre Bekolo, 2013

## References



## External links