A photographic account of Carsten Höller's journeys to the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the purpose of a film about Fara Fara music.
Fara Fara means face-to-face in Lingala and is a musical phenomenon deeply rooted in Congolese culture. Two groups play at the same time at adjacent locations, and the ones who play longest win. In times gone by, disputes were sometimes settled in this way; nowadays, it is more about musical leadership. A Fara Fara is a massive event attracting huge crowds, but it happens very rarely.
This book is about a film where a Fara Fara takes place in Kinshasa, a musical battle between the two major proponents of Congolese contemporary rumba. The film has not been made yet. It will be directed by the artist Carsten Höller and the film director Måns Månsson. The book contains photographs taken during various preparatory trips, made since 2001 by Pierre Björk, Hoyte van Hoytema, Reed Kram, Armin Linke, Giovanna Silva, Patrik Strömdahl and the directors. The Swedish writer and music cognoscente Elin Unnes provided the text.
Published on the occasion of Carsten Höller's exhibition at the 56th International Exhibition of visual arts – La Biennale di Venezia, from May 9th to November 22nd, 2015.
Carsten Höller (born 1961 in Brussels, lives and works in Stockholm) applies his training as a scientist in his work as an artist, concentrating particularly on the nature of human relationships. His major installations include Test Site (2006), Tate Modern's Turbine Hall; Amusement Park (2006) at MASS MoCA, North Adams, USA; The Double Club (2008–09) in London, which took the form of a bar, restaurant and nightclub designed to create a dialogue between Congolese and Western culture. His works have been shown internationally, including solo exhibitions at Fondazione Prada, Milan (2000); the ICA Boston (2003); Musée d'Art Contemporain, Marseille (2004); Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria (2008); Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam (2010); Hamburger Bahnhof, Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin (2011), New Museum, New York (2011), TBA 21, Vienna (2014) and National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia (2014-15).
