A Dazzling Exhibition of Black Emerging Artists Mixes Newly Minted Stars With Recent Art-School Graduates

Installation view, "BLACK VOICES / BLACK MICROCOSM" at CFHill, Sweden.

While museums around the globe are closed to the public, we are spotlighting inspiring exhibitions that were previously on view. Even if you can’t see it in person, allow us to give you a virtual look.

“BLACK VOICES / BLACK MICROCOSMS”
CFHILL Art Space
Stockholm, Sweden

What the curator says: “There isn’t so much of a ‘theme’ for the show; the common threads are the links, cultural or otherwise, that we find throughout the African diaspora, ways in which we connect and differ, or come together to bridge gaps,” says curator Destinee Ross. “The diaspora is global, and so is the conversation. Each of us have a unique way to gather inspiration, and from our lives and worlds, communicate it. Showing a wide range of opinions, voices, and countless expressions of beauty is essential in a world where compassion and connection is needed now more than ever.

Sometimes, simply being black is seen as more or less than what it ideally is. Some see it as a threat, some as a point of joy and honor. Blackness can be a polarizing and sometimes controversial thing to be or support. Supporting blackness—in art, or in life—can oftentimes take courage and dedication.”

Why it’s worth a look: In this group show organized by New York-based Ross, work by 31 artists serves to offer a small but dynamic snapshot of creative production in the global black community. Some of the artists are in the midst of a meteoric rise, like Vienna-based Amoako Boafo and London-based Tunji Adeniyi-Jones, while others are recent graduates of art school beginning to make their way in the art world.

Installed in a stately building in Stockholm, the CFHill Art Space might seem like a space more suited to Old Masters than upstart painters, as Ross acknowledges in her curatorial statement. But the entire show was born out of a realization that new art can pop up in unlikely places. Ross said she never imagined what a diverse and robust art scene Sweden had until she visited, prompting her to curate this show as an ode to black artists all over the world.

What it looks like: