Wangari Mathenge
The exhibition brings together art created by black artists over the past 100 years. A total of 148 paintings by 115 artists are on display. The works have been loaned from 16 different countries, and are put into dialogue with contemporary black thinkers, writers and poets. When We See Us is the largest exhibition ever to have black self-representation as its starting point.
When We See Us is organized and initiated by the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) in Cape Town, where it received a great public response, and has subsequently toured to the Kunstmuseum Basel in Basel and to Bozar in Brussels. Focusing on painting, it highlights how artists from Africa and the African diaspora (i.e. people of African descent living outside Africa) have visualized and shaped their experiences, but also how they have honored the memory of and given voice to experiences connected to their origins.
The exhibition is curated by Koyo Kouoh, who was appointed curator of the 2026 Venice Biennale and who passed away earlier this year, together with Tandazani Dhlakama, curator of Global Africa at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and former curator at Zeitz MOCAA.
“ When We See Us invites reflection on how black artists over the past century have used figurative painting to depict various aspects of everyday life, including intimacy, belonging, joy and resilience. The exhibition refuses to place European and Western narratives of oppression at the centre. It highlights Koyo Kouoh’s curatorial vision of placing artistry from Africa and the African diaspora at the centre of global art history,” says Dhlakama.
The exhibition is structured around six themes: Everyday Life , Joy and Celebration , Rest , Sensuality , Spirituality and Triumph and Liberation . Based on these themes, the exhibition aims to provide a nuanced picture of black life and thought, starting from a joyful perspective. The exhibition aims to consciously shift the focus away from topics such as violence, struggle and suffering, which are traditionally associated with art from Africa and the African diaspora.
Over the past decade, figurative painting by black artists has received renewed attention. This exhibition brings these expressions together while simultaneously revealing deeper historical connections and networks within a complex, but often overlooked, art historical tradition rooted in African and black expressions.
“ When We See Us presents an alternative modernity and highlights artistic practices that have historically been excluded from Western art history. The exhibition offers visitors a unique opportunity to experience art that has never before been shown in Sweden,” says Joanna Sandell Wright, director and artistic director of Liljevalchs.
The exhibition title is inspired by Ava DuVernay’s 2019 miniseries When They See Us , which depicts different types of violence against black bodies. By replacing the word “they” with “we” in the title, an important shift in perspective is made, making the artists subjects who formulate their own story. When We See Us highlights relationships between artists and artworks that span geography, generations and conceptual boundaries, and makes visible what curator Koyo Kouoh called “parallel aesthetics.” A term that Kouoh used to describe how artists in different parts of the world develop similar forms of artistic expression without necessarily sharing the same context.
