M HKA Ensembles

Video, 00:03:08.

Collection: Collection M HKA, Antwerp / Collection Flemish Community (Inv. no. BK008202).

In ‘Fuck Africa’  Nastio Mosquito questions the notion of Africa as a construct ‘that is fucked up’ from a critical point of view. In the same gesture he addresses Europe by pretending he bought it, therewith holding up a mirror of colonisation towards both continents.

The works of Mosquito present a curious provocation in their direct confrontation with the viewer. Mosquito places himself centre stage, adopting different personae, and adopting attitudes from his other experiences of working as an actor, presenter, singer, and media impresario. His work is often described as confronting stereotypes of Africa and its people, which, while not untrue, is only part of the complexity of his work. Mosquito plays with charisma and exoticism, being funny and scary, and entertaining and awkward. We are always left never quite knowing whether we are meeting the real Nástio Mosquito, and yet the works offer a glimpse of a future where we may have a certain freedom to be what we feel, beyond political correctness and the desire to be consumers of cultural difference.