/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/29/a6/29a6efaa-0120-4d2f-9c07-3e0a9a448e4f/jim_chuchu_invocation__severance_of_ties.png)
The Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art has opened "Here: Pride and Belonging in African Art," the largest-ever exhibition dedicated to LGBTQ+ African art. The show, curated by Kevin Dumouchelle and Serubiri Moses, features nearly 60 works by 30 artists from across Africa and its diasporas, spanning photography, painting, tapestry, collage, and sculpture.
The exhibition aims to challenge a monolithic narrative of oppression by showcasing the nuanced, celebrated, and joyful realities of LGBTQ+ life on the continent. It seeks to establish a foundational history for this artistic field, encouraging further museum acquisitions, scholarship, and public programming. The curators hope it will prompt historians to formally document this artistry and expand its visibility.