Fowler Museum Exhibition Traces African Art's Shifting Meanings

The Fowler Museum at UCLA presents 'Belongings: Changing Hands and Shifting Meanings in African Arts,' co-curated by Erica P. Jones and Carlee S. Forbes. The exhibition, on view until September 20, 2026, reframes African art by tracing objects' journeys through makers, collectors, markets, and institutions. It emphasizes provenance, critical fabulation, and multiple perspectives, challenging fixed narratives and museum authority. The show includes works from the Wellcome Trust collection and features label texts that acknowledge uncertainty and complexity. Jones and Forbes highlight the agency of African individuals in global art markets and aim to foster transparency and collaboration in museum practice.