unx-Art Escapes: 5 African and Diaspora Exhibitions to See This Summer

Summer isn’t always still. It hums with colour, memory, and quiet movement. This year, instead of the usual path from beaches to boulevards, we’re inviting you to follow a different trail—one shaped by vision, resistance, and joy.

With unx-art, we’ve selected five exhibitions across continents that stay with us. From the rhythm of New Orleans to the reflective spaces of Antananarivo and Geneva, each one offers more than a viewing. It’s an encounter—with sound, with ritual, with figuration, with silence.

These are shows we’ve followed, visited, and thought about. Some moved us deeply; others surprised us. All of them are worth a detour.

So whether you're traveling or staying put, here’s what we’re seeing—and why it matters.

1. Hybridity

Fondation H, Antananarivo, Madagascar
On view: April 11, 2025 – March 21, 2026

Exhibition view of Safiotra [Hybridités/Hybridities] by Yinka Shonibare, 2025 © Fondation H

Safiotra is a timely exhibition marking Yinka Shonibare's first large-scale showcase in Africa. It features his vibrant wax-print installations that explore identity and postcolonial power dynamics. Held at Fondation H, the exhibition fosters a meaningful dialogue with 19 artists from Africa and its diaspora.

The Malagasy word "safiotra" means hybrid, symbolising themes of adaptation and cultural flexibility. For this exhibition, Shonibare curated works from the Fondation H Collection, highlighting prominent African artists such as Abdoulaye Konaté (Mali), Ibrahim Mahama (Ghana), Zanele Muholi (South Africa), Ouattara Watts (Ivory Coast), and Madame Zo (Madagascar). Notable pieces include Ibrahim Mahama’s sculptural recycling projects and Zanele Muholi’s intimate self-portraits, which combine visual storytelling with engaging discourse.

Why it’s unique:

We rarely see Africa curating itself at this scale, with Yinka Shonibare not just exhibiting, but inviting others in. Set within a beautifully restored former post office in Antananarivo, now Fondation H’s luminous home.

Discover more at Foundation H.

2. Masquerade

New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA), New Orleans, USA
On view: April 4 – August 10, 2025

This vibrant exhibition, curated by Lisa Homann, presents a striking collection of over a dozen full-body masquerade ensembles from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Cameroon. Far from being mere static artefacts, these pieces are dynamic works of art, created by talented artists such as Ekpenyong Bassey Nsa, Hervé Youmbi, and Sheku “Goldenfinger” Fofanah. They expertly blend sequins, feathers, raffia, and wood, blurring the lines between costume, sculpture, and spiritual medium.

Alongside these captivating costumes, videos, oral histories, and photography showcase the masquerade's evolving significance across generations and regions. This exhibition, developed in collaboration with institutions in Dakar and Freetown, will also travel beyond its initial location, emphasising a cross-continental connection.

Why it’s unique:

We’ve long followed Lisa Homann’s curatorial work—this one feels like a culmination. Masquerade transforms the museum into a dynamic space of living tradition, where performance becomes both a cultural and political act.

Sheku “Goldenfinger” Fofanah, Sierra Leonean, “Fairy” Masquerade Ensemble, 2022. Commission for the Fitchburg Art Museum. Photo courtesy of the New Orleans Museum of Art.

3. Le Monde pour Horizon

Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), Paris, France
On view: September 21, 2024 – September 7, 2025

At the BnF in Paris, Le Monde pour Horizon unfolds as both a curatorial and artistic gesture, curated by Hafida Jemni di Folco. The exhibition invites visitors to engage with the archive not as static memory, but as a dynamic space of dialogue, where centuries-old manuscripts, maps, and ceremonial objects from the BnF’s collections meet the contemporary works of Barthélémy Toguo.

Toguo’s contributions—bronze medallions of African leaders, ceramic sculptures, and the poignant installation A Book Is My Hope—interact with the institution’s holdings to explore history, memory, and cultural emancipation. His practice reframes colonial legacies through poetic resistance and ecological urgency.

Exhibition ‘The World as Horizon’ by Barthélémy Toguo, at the BNF Richelieu Museum. © Elie Ludwig BNF

Why it’s unique:

We’ve been watching Barthélémy Toguo’s work unfold across institutions, including projects at the Louvre in Paris. Still, under the curatorial eye of Hafida Jemni di Folco, this project carries a special edge, bridging institutional memory and artistic intervention.

View more on Bathélémy Toguo, guest artist at the BnF

4. Afrosonika – Soundscapes

Musée d’Ethnographie de Genève (MEG), Geneva, Switzerland
On view: May 16, 2025 – January 4, 2026

Afrosonika invites you to tune in differently, shifting the focus from visual spectacle to sonic architecture. The show features an immersive blend of field recordings, sound-based installations, and digital works from artists like Mo Laudi and Sonia Boyce. Mo Laudi, the assistant curator, is particularly known for experimenting with sounds as materials, a technique that enhances the show's depth and creativity. We discovered his music at Africa Basel 2025, where he captivated audiences as a DJ, blending diverse sonic elements into compelling experiences.

Discover Mo Laudi's sonic landscape here.

As you navigate the space, the experience feels almost physical—it's less about walking through and more about drifting through a landscape of sound, history, displacement, and joy. One moment might transport you to the vibrant echoes of a Lagos street choir, while the next envelops you in the deep resonance of a South African club's bass line.

Why it’s unique:

We were first introduced to Mo Laudi’s sonic world at Africa Basel—and it’s stayed with us since. In an era saturated with images, Afrosonika reminds us that listening can be a radical act, revealing layers of knowledge and stories often overlooked.

Discover Afrosonica at the MEG

5. When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting

Bozar, Brussels, Belgium
On view: February 7 – August 10, 2025

Conceived and first shown at Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town, South Africa, then exhibited in Basel, Switzerland in 2024, When We See Us now arrives in Brussels, Belgium, with even greater resonance. This exhibition is one of our favourites. We covered it in detail after seeing it in Basel last year, read our dedicated editorial here.

Co-curated by the late Koyo Kouoh and Tandazani Dhlakama, the exhibition features over 150 works that explore Black figurative painting from the past century. Organised thematically around concepts such as Joy, The Everyday, Triumph, and Repose, it includes artists from across the African continent and its global diaspora, such as Lynette Yiadom-Boakye and Chéri Samba, along with newer voices capturing modern Black life with striking clarity.

Now, more than ever, this exhibition holds special meaning as it represents one of Koyo Kouoh's last curatorial legacies. Its refreshing depiction of joy, something that is rare in Black figuration, serves as a powerful reminder of the vibrancy and depth of this art form. We encourage everyone in Brussels not to miss this incredible opportunity to experience such significant works.

Why it’s unique:

By centring Black subjects, the exhibition reclaims space in art history and reshapes how we see the world. This is about more than representation—it’s about narrative control. It’s about seeing, yes, but on one’s terms.

Discover more at Bozar.

Conclusion

Looking for more ways to pause, listen, or reflect? Explore our full curation of contemporary African and diaspora artists, visit our curation unx-art curation.

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