Media release

The survey exhibition features nearly 200 artworks from 154 artists

The exhibition, supported by Gucci, opens on 20 November 2022

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(Cape Town, 18 November 2022): This weekend, Zeitz MOCAA will be a flurry of activity as it not only presents its fundraising Gala, sponsored by Gucci, but also unveils a new survey exhibition that has been years in the making. Titled When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting, the exhibition places a focus on painting, specifically works produced from the 1920s to the present.

“Over the last decade, figurative painting by Black artists has risen to a new prominence in contemporary art,” says Koyo Kouoh, Executive Director and Chief Curator at Zeitz
MOCAA. “There is no better time for an exhibition of this nature, one that connects these practices and reveals the deeper historic contexts and networks of complex and underrepresented artistic genealogies that stem from African and Black modernities; an exhibition that demonstrates how multiple generations of such artists have revelled and critically engaged in projecting various notions of Blackness and Africanity.”

When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting comprises an exhibition, publication and discursive programming that explores Black self-representation and celebrates global Black subjectivities and Black consciousness from pan-African and pan-diasporic perspectives. It boldly brings together artworks from the last 100 years, by Black artists working globally, into dialogue with leading Black thinkers, writers and poets who are active today.

The exhibition furthermore celebrates how artists from Africa and its diaspora have imagined, positioned, memorialised and asserted African and African-descent experiences. It contributes to critical discourse on African and Black liberation, intellectual and philosophical movements. The title of the exhibition is inspired by Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us, a 2019 miniseries. Flipping ‘they’ to ‘we’ allows for a dialectical shift that centres the conversation in a differential perspective of self-writing as theorised by Professor Achille Mbembe.

The exhibition, designed by Wolff Architects, features nearly 200 works of art by 154 artists from 28 countries, with the artworks loaned from 73 institutional and private lenders located in 26 countries. When We See Us celebrates the resilience, essence and political charge of Black joy. The exhibition is organised around six themes — The Everyday, Joy and Revelry, Repose, Sensuality, Spirituality, and Triumph and Emancipation. It is furthermore accompanied by a sonic translation, compiled by South African composer and sound artist Neo Muyanga.

Tandazani Dhlakama, the exhibition’s co-curator and Assistant Curator at Zeitz MOCAA, says: “This exhibition is a true reflection of the historic contexts of African and Black existence, with the oldest artist in the exhibition born in 1886 and the youngest in 1999. It amplifies a historical continuum of self-representation while highlighting important contributions towards a previously understated canon. Most importantly, it explores a broad range of artistic lineages, art schools and movements — and brings together a myriad of artists and their practice in dialogue for the first time (see full list of artists below).”

Published to coincide with the exhibition is a hardcover poetic catalogue by Thames and Hudson, in collaboration with Zeitz MOCAA, and edited by Koyo Kouoh. Richly illustrated with all the works selected for the exhibition, it includes a contextual essay by Dhlakama and four specially commissioned texts by acclaimed female writers Ken Bugul (Senegal), Maaza Mengiste (Ethiopia), Robin Coste Lewis (United States) and Bill Kouelany (Republic of Congo). In addition to the publication, on sale from 18 November at Zeitz MOCAA Shop and shop.zeitzmocaa.museum, the curatorial team have collaborated with the museum’s retail partner on a limited range of exhibition-related items, including T-shirts, tote bags and more.

Conceived in collaboration with the Institute for Humanities in Africa (HUMA) at the University of Cape Town (UCT), a parallel discursive programme provides theoretical framings of the project and is presented as a year-long, multi-vocal webinar series. The series brings together thought leaders from the continent and its thriving diaspora to address topics around global Black subjectivity and Black representation from the premise of artistic production and into the topical considerations relevant today.

Coordinated by Zeitz MOCAA Assistant Curator Thato Mogotsi, previous discussion topics included The Poetics of Black Figuration, Defining the ‘We’ & the ‘Us’, A Century of Black Figuration as Representation of Self and Black is Beautiful: Pan-Africanism & the Afropolitan Impulse in Contemporary Art, amongst others. Previous participants have included Prof Huey Copeland, Kimberly Drew, Keyna Eleison, Thelma Golden, Dr Felwine Sarr and Athi Mongozeleli Joja. The webinars are archived on the museum’s YouTube channel, with the next one taking place on Tuesday, 29 November.

The opening of the exhibition is preceded by the 2022 Zeitz MOCAA Gala Dinner + Party, supported by Gucci, acting as a catalyst and inspiration for the Gala’s theme of Art & Opulence. The Gala is Zeitz MOCAA’s largest development event of the year and its proceeds yield approximately 30% of the museum’s annual exhibitions and education budget. The event is essential to the institution’s mission of promoting art education and community engagement, and is further supported by the V&A Waterfront, Radisson Hotel Group, the Mail & Guardian, YourLuxury Africa, Terre Paisable, Pernod Ricard and Hidden Valley Wines, with BMW South Africa as the official vehicle partner.

The exhibition and accompanying publication have been made possible through the generous support of our presenting sponsor, Gucci.

When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting will open to the public on Sunday, 20 November 2022. The Zeitz MOCAA Gala Dinner + Party, supported by Gucci and themed Art + Opulence, takes place on Saturday, 19 November 2022. For more information on the Gala and to purchase tickets, visit zeitzmocaa.museum or click here.

Zeitz MOCAA’s curatorial and exhibition programming is proudly supported by Gucci. All proceeds from the annual fundraising event go towards supporting curatorial research and education programming at Zeitz MOCAA.

Participating artists:
Nina Chanel Abney
Olusegun Adejumo
Tunji Adeniyi-Jones
Njideka Akunyili Crosby
Maxwell Alexandre
Tiffany Alfonseca
Benny Andrews
Anjel (BorisAnje)
Cornelius Annor
Gideon Appah
Michael Armitage
Johnny Arts
Malang Badji
Firelei Báez
Romare Bearden
Tizta Berhanu
Willie Bester
Gerard Bhengu
Wilson Bigaud
John Thomas Biggers
Amoako Boafo
Kwesi Botchway
Marcus Brutus
Margaret Taylor
Burroughs
Dominic Chambers
Chéri Chérin
Kudzanai Chiurai
Peter Clarke
Eldzier Cortor
Somaya Critchlow
Beauford Delaney
Elladj Lincy Deloumeaux
Aboubacar Diané
Aaron Douglas
Gervais Emmanuel
Ducasse
Edouard Duval-Carrié
Ibrahim El-Salahi
Ben Enwonwu
Esiri Erheriene-Essi
Patrick Eugène
Scherezade García
Ablade Glover
Gherdai Hassell
Barkley L. Hendricks
Lubaina Himid
Albert Huie
Clementine Hunter
Kudzanai-Violet Hwami
Gavin Jantjes
William H. Johnson
Charles Kamangwana
Kangudia
Ibrahima Kébé
Amon Kotei
Joy Labinjo
Wifredo Lam
YoYo Lander
Akinola Lasekan
Jacob Lawrence
Petson Lombe
Sahara Longe
Zemba Luzamba
Danielle McKinney
Mustafa Maluka
Marvelous Mangena
Armando Mariño
Arjan Martins
No Martins
Wangari Mathenge
Neo Matloga
Raphael Adjetey Adjei
Mayne
George Mbugua
Kivuthi Mbuno
Zachariah Mbutha
Luis Meque
Roméo Mivekannin
Sungi Mlengeya
Sphephelo Mnguni
Moké
Meleko Mokgosi
Archibald J. Motley Jr.
Richard Mudariki
Geoffrey Mukasa
Cinthia Sifa Mulanga
Theresa Mungure
Lavar Munroe
Ian Mwesiga
Cassi Namoda
Eric Ndlovu
Chemu Ng’ok
Malangatana Valente
Ngwenya
Nicholous Njau
Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi
Eria Nsubuga ‘Sane’
Nestor Vuza Ntoko
Boris Nzebo
Antonio Obá
Antoine Obin
Philomé Obin
Télémaque Obin
Abe Odedina
Toyin Ojih Odutola
Fred Oduya
Chris Ofili
Augustin Okoye
Kambui Olujimi
Eniwaye Oluwaseyi
Bruce Onobrakpeya
Richard Onyango
Marc Padeu
Zéh Palito
Emma Pap’
Karl Parboosingh
George Pemba
Thebe Phetogo
Naudline Pierre
Prosper Pierre-Louis
Horace Pippin
María Magdalena
Campos Pons
Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe
Robert Saidi
Chéri Samba
Kingsley Sambo
Cinga Samson
Mmapula Mmakgabo
Helen Sebidi
Gerard Sekoto
Tschabalala Self
Amy Sherald
Devan Shimoyama
Monsengo Shula
Alexander Shyngle
Sthembiso Sibisi
Ancent Soi
Olivier Souffrant
Moustapha Souley
Pamela Phatsimo
Sunstrum
Nirit Takele
Matundu Tanda
Henry Taylor
Alfred Thoba
Mickalene Thomas
Bob Thompson
Edward Saidi Tingatinga
Katlego Tlabela
Cyprien Tokoudagba
Mose Tolliver
Zandile Tshabalala
Didier Viodé
Sane Wadu
Charles White
Kehinde Wiley
Richard Witikani
Lynette Yiadom-Boakye
Daniela Yohannes

//ends

Issued by Chimera Creative on behalf of Zeitz MOCAA. Please find further media materials for When We See Us here and here. For media enquiries, contact Zainab Slemang van Rijmenant: 072-348-6443 or zainab@chimeracreative.co.za.

About Zeitz MOCAA

Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) is a public not-for-profit institution that collects, preserves, researches and exhibits contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora; conceives and hosts international exhibitions; develops supporting educational, discursive and enrichment programmes; encourages intercultural understanding; and strives towards access for all. The museum’s galleries feature rotating temporary exhibitions with a dedicated space for the permanent collection. The institution also includes the Centre for Art Education, the Centre for the Moving Image and The Atelier, a museum residency programme for artists living and working in Cape Town.

Zeitz MOCAA is situated at the Silo District, South Arm Road, V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa, and is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm. zeitzmocaa.museum

About Gucci

Founded in Florence, Italy, in 1921, Gucci is one of the world’s leading luxury brands, led by President and CEO Marco Bizzarri and Creative Director Alessandro Michele. Following the House’s centenary, Gucci forges ahead into the next hundred years, continuing to redefine luxury while celebrating the creativity, craftsmanship and innovation at the core of its values.

Gucci is part of the global luxury group, Kering, which manages the development of a series of renowned Houses in fashion, leather goods, jewellery and watches.

Discover more about Gucci at gucci.com.