Pan-Africanism and Art: Five Key Books from Barbican Exhibition
'Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica' is currently being showcased at the Barbican Art Gallery in London, highlighting the impact of Pan-Africanism on visual arts from the 20th century to today. This exhibition includes approximately 300 pieces, such as paintings, sculptures, and archival items. Following its debut at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2024, the exhibition was previously displayed at the Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona last year and is set to move to the Kanal-Centre Pompidou in Brussels next. Co-curators Elvira Dyangani Ose and Adom Getachew have chosen five significant books, including 'The Practice of Diaspora' (2003) by Brent Hayes Edwards and 'Architects of Liberation' (2026). The exhibition will be open until 6 September.
Key facts
- Exhibition 'Project a Black Planet' at Barbican Art Gallery, London, until 6 September
- Features around 300 works including paintings, sculptures, video, installations, and archival materials
- Previously shown at Art Institute of Chicago (2024) and Macba (last year)
- Next venue: Kanal-Centre Pompidou, Brussels
- Co-curators: Elvira Dyangani Ose and Adom Getachew
- Five books selected to understand Pan-Africanism and art
- Books include works by Brent Hayes Edwards, Franklin Rosemont, Robin D.G. Kelley, Elizabeth Harney, Okwui Enwezor, Chinua Achebe, and others
- Exhibition explores Pan-Africanism's impact on art and artists' role in the movement
Entities
Artists
- Elvira Dyangani Ose
- Adom Getachew
- Brent Hayes Edwards
- Franklin Rosemont
- Robin D.G. Kelley
- Elizabeth Harney
- Léopold Sédar Senghor
- Okwui Enwezor
- Chinua Achebe
- Martino Stireli
- Ikem Stanley Okoye
- Mallory Cohen
- Ibrahim El-Salahi
- David Hammons
- Simone Leigh
- Chris Ofili
- William Kentridge
- Magdalene Odundo
- Lynette Yiadom-Boakye
- Marlene Dumas
- Claudette Johnson
Institutions
- Barbican Art Gallery
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona (Macba)
- Kanal-Centre Pompidou
- University of Chicago
- Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
- Barbican
- Barbican Centre
- MACBA
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Chicago
- United States
- Barcelona
- Spain
- Brussels
- Belgium
- New York
- Africa
- Caribbean
- Brazil
- Americas
- Europe