When We See Us: Largest African Art Exhibition in a Century at Bozar Brussels

The largest exhibition of African art in the last 100 years, "When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting," opened at Bozar in Brussels. Curated by Koyo Kouoh—who in 2026 will become the first African woman to direct the Venice Biennale—and Tandazani Dhlakama, the traveling show originated at the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town and previously stopped in Basel. It brings together over 150 works by approximately 120 African and diaspora artists, spanning from the oldest artist born in 1886 (Clementine Hunter) to the youngest born in 1999 (Zandile Tshabalala). The exhibition is structured into six thematic chapters—Everyday Life, Rest, Triumph and Emancipation, Sensuality, Spirituality, and Joy and Celebration—rather than chronological or geographic order. It features a soundscape by South African sound designer Neo Muyanga. Notable works include Mickalene Thomas's "Never Change Lovers in the Middle of the Night" (2006), Kudzanai-Violet Hwami's "An evening in Mazowe" (2019), Zandile Tshabalala's "Two Reclining Women" (2020), and Esiri Erheriene-Essi's "The Birthday Party" (2021) depicting anti-apartheid activist Stephen Biko. The title references the Netflix miniseries "When They See Us" (2019), flipping the perspective from "them" to "us" to center Black self-representation and "Black joy" as a political act. The exhibition runs at Bozar Brussels until August 10, 2025.