Amina-Toure Kassim's First European Solo Show at T293, Rome

Ghanaian artist Amina-Toure Kassim (b. 1990, Accra; lives in Columbus, Ohio) presents her first European solo exhibition, 'Behind the Scenes; Tales of a Dreamer,' at T293 gallery in Rome. The show features oil and acrylic paintings created between 2021 and 2022 that explore the daily realities of African diaspora communities. Kassim, who studied linguistics before earning an MFA from Ohio University, uses her art to depict intimate scenes of friends from Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Benin, and other African countries navigating life in the United States. Works like 'Game night' show a Gambian friend learning the Ghanaian board game oware, while 'For the love of Ataya' portrays Gambian men sharing tea. In 'Behind the scenes,' a figure wears a Nigerian aso oke hat and kente cloth against a U.S. flag made from woven plastic strips of 'Ghana Must Go' bags—a symbol of forced migration from Nigeria in the 1980s. 'Mama where are you?' depicts her cousin Aisha, who left her family to pursue a master's degree, surrounded by family photographs. Kassim describes her practice as storytelling that captures common experiences of displacement, cultural disconnection, and the search for belonging. The exhibition runs at T293 in Rome.