‘When We See Us’
Past event
Cancelled
Postponed
7 Feb. →
10 Aug.'25
A Century of Black Figuration in Painting
How have artists from Africa and its vast diaspora depicted daily life over the past century? Koyo Kouoh, Executive Director and Chief Curator of Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town, and her team have sought to answer this question with a landmark exhibition. Bozar proudly presents this vast kaleidoscope of Black figurative painting from the 1920s to the present day.
Inspired by Ava DuVernay's series When They See Us, the exhibition title "When We See Us" reflects a fundamental perspective exploring Black self-representation and global Black subjectivities. The approximately 140 works by around 100 artists are grouped into six themes: "The Everyday”, "Joy & Revelry”, "Repose”, "Sensuality”, "Spirituality”, and "Triumph and Emancipation”.
By focusing on these themes, the exhibition offers a rich, nuanced view of Black life and thought, emphasising the resilience, essence, and political charge of Black joy. It highlights relationships between artists and artworks across geographic, generational, and conceptual contexts, fostering a deeper understanding of a complex and underrepresented genealogy rooted in African and Black modernities. When We See Us encourages discussion on Black liberation and intellectual movements and celebrates experiences from Africa and the African diaspora contributing to the art historical canon.
This exhibition is conceived and organised by Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA) In Cape Town.
When We See Us is presented at Bozar under the Patronage of Her Majesty the Queen.
Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Cécile Fakhoury © Sabam2024
© Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California; Photo Robert Wedemeyer
Courtesy the artist, Simões de Assis © Courtesy of the artist
Courtesy of Serge Tiroche and the Africa First Collection © Courtesy African Arty Gallery
Courtesy of Jorge M. Pérez Collection, Miami © Esiri Erheriene-Essi and Galerie Ron Mandos
Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Cécile Fakhoury © Sabam2024
© Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California; Photo Robert Wedemeyer
Courtesy the artist, Simões de Assis © Courtesy of the artist
Courtesy of Serge Tiroche and the Africa First Collection © Courtesy African Arty Gallery
Courtesy of Jorge M. Pérez Collection, Miami © Esiri Erheriene-Essi and Galerie Ron Mandos
Practical information
Dates
Location
BOZAR/Centre for Fine Arts
Rue Ravenstein 23 1000 BRUSSELSWatch ✕ Read ✕ Listen
See also
Organised by
- Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA)