Five must-read books on Pan-Africanism and art
The best publications about the subject, from a collection of Surrealist writing to a survey of pioneering architects—selected by Elvira Dyangani Ose and Adom Getachew
Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica, an exhibition at London’s Barbican Art Gallery, showcases around 300 works exploring the influence of Pan-Africanism on visual arts. Co-curated by Elvira Dyangani Ose and Adom Getachew from the University of Chicago, the show features paintings, sculptures, video works, installations, and archival materials from the Institute of Chicago, Macba, and other locations.
Five key books have been selected by Ose and Adom Getachew to deepen understanding of the relationship between Pan-Africanism and art. Brent Hayes Edwards argues that diaspora is not a unified identity but a result of cultural translation tensions and shifts. Franklin Rosemont and Robin D.G. Kelley situate Surrealism within African and diasporic cultures of resistance and imagination.
Leopold Senghor believed artists would play a central role in reconstructing African society after decolonization. Elizabeth Harney’s study reveals how avant-garde artists contested Negritude beliefs by breaking out of established artistic forms. Okwui Enwezor’s survey exhibition, accompanied by a catalogue, announced African Modernism across art, architecture, photography, and cinema.
Lastly, the built environment's radical transformation across western Africa in the age of decolonization is explored through pioneering architects' work.
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