The Guardian reviews the Barbican's exhibition "Project a Black Planet," which explores Panafricanism and Négritude in art and culture. The show features works by artists including Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, El Anatsui, Abdias Nascimento, and Marlene Dumas, with Yiadom-Boakye's new paintings of fictional figures and ancestral elders singled out as a highlight. The exhibition is organized around theoretical concepts from figures like Aimé Césaire and Stuart Hall, aiming to conjure a utopian "Panafrica."
The review argues that the exhibition fails to achieve its ambitious goals, criticizing its heavy reliance on academic theory at the expense of artistic flair and emotional impact. While individual works are praised, the overall presentation is described as "incoherent" and "tedious," with artworks used to illustrate arguments rather than allowed to speak for themselves. The review suggests the show loses sight of actual Africa and the lived experiences of the African diaspora, making it a missed opportunity for powerful political enchantment.