First edition of Hotel Afrique by Stuart Franklin. First impression. Medium format hardback in fine condition. Signed with a personalised inscription to Chris Steele-Perkins by the artist. About “The aim of the project is to examine an aspect of contemporary Africa: specifically, the hybrid space between global culture and Africa’s past and present identity,” wrote Stuart Franklin in the foreword to his book Hotel Afrique. The book sees hotels – locations for international business and political meetings, where the world of privilege meets that of the service worker – becoming a conduit for exploring the relationship between the West and Africa, indigenous and globalized culture, and capitalism and community. In his essay ‘Label Cultural Baggage’, also published in the book and presented here, Dr. Mark Sealy MBE laid out the historical and cultural context within which to understand Franklin’s depiction of contemporary Africa.
