Beyond football - shifting interests and identity - SAVVY contemporary

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European countries, a different, new image developed, one that makes women appear
in a different light. This is why particularly the Nigerian artists passed on the stylization
of the traditional African woman’s image and instead observed situations that show the
interaction of sport and daily life. This is how we discover women who suddenly take over
unexpected roles in society and, therefore, also in sport, than the ones that are expected
to be taken up by their male counterparts.
Be it the grandmother with their grandchildren who suddenly demonstrated a different
face on the playing field, be it a lascivious goalie in position, be it the disturbing aesthetic
of an amazon, the young female soccer player who tells her story or the functionally/
futuristically dressed mother – all of them are looking for a place in society. The way to go
depends on the individual story of life, but common to all is the implicitness with that all
of them are departing for their journey.
But beyond, the exhibition aims also at representing the very daily realities of women. It
shows the self consciousness and the challenges women have to face every day. Topics
like lifestyle, fashion, and aesthetic but also family and profession are keywords that
connect with the exhibition. “Shifting interests and identity” – this is what the show is
about, about the change from tradition to modernity.
When in summer 2010 whole Africa was captured by the fascination and enthusiasm for
the football-World cup in South African, the feeling to have finally reached the “modern
world” and be part of it, was particularly strong. This event of worldwide impact wanted to
draw attention to a modern, positive, rainbow-colored South Africa, wanted to show that