Curated by Koyo Kouoh, Director and Chief Curator of the Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town and her colleague Tandazani Dhlakama, this multifaceted special exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Basel | Gegenwart introduces viewers to figurative painting by Black artists from Africa and the African Diaspora dating from the 1920s through to the present.
The exhibition’s title is inspired by the 2019 Netflix miniseries When They See Us by African-American director Ava DuVernay, which focuses on how Black youth are seen as potential criminals and thus as a threat. Replacing “they” with “we” in the title indicates the crucial perspectival shift: The works on show bring into focus the artists’ lived realities as subject of their own art. Amounting to over 200 pieces, the artworks are grouped into six distinct thematic categories entitled “The Everyday,” “Joy & Revelry,” ”Repose,” “Sensuality,” “Spirituality,” and “Triumph and Emancipation.”
The result is a comprehensive show that brings together works by 120 artists: a kaleidoscope of Black figurative painting over the last 100 years.
The exhibition is at Kunstmusem Basel until 27 October 2024.
