What to See, What to Feel. 2025 Spring Curation

As spring settles in, we find ourselves drawn not just to exhibitions, but to encounters—spaces where art insists on presence, on emotion, on remembering. From our gallery in Freetown to global stages in Basel, Paris, New York, and Doha, here is a curated selection of what’s unfolding now—and what’s worth lingering with.

The Matter of Now – unx-art, Freetown
May 16–24, 2025 | Private Viewing: May 15

This May, unx-art opens its doors to eight Nigerian voices in a powerful group exhibition titled The Matter of Now. These are artists who speak through silence, colour, and layered materiality—offering portraits of the present as deeply rooted in history, yet urgently concerned with now.

The artists featured in The Matter of Now include Sor Sen, whose introspective mixed-media paintings explore silence and memory; John Oyedemi, known for his rich impasto works capturing the royal exuberance of the Durbar; and Ola Oyelusi, whose bold, Basquiat-inspired compositions deliver an energetic visual language of social commentary.

Unx-Art at Africa Basel
June 18–22, 2025 | Messe Basel, Switzerland

In June, unx-art will participate in the inaugural edition of Africa Basel, a timely and thoughtful platform dedicated to contemporary art from Africa and its diasporas. Taking place alongside Art Basel, the most prestigious art fair in the world, Africa Basel offers a distinct curatorial voice that prioritizes long-term engagement over fleeting trends.

More than a parallel event, Africa Basel responds to a growing need: to reframe the global art narrative on African terms, with clarity and care. unx-art is proud to exhibit works by Helen Nzete (Nigeria) and Clément Gbegno (Togo)—two artists who embody this vision through abstraction, memory, and material intelligence. This is not a satellite moment. It is a centre in its own right. Discover more about Africa Basel

Seen or to be Seen Elsewhere: Three Exhibitions We Recommend

Paris Noir – Centre Pompidou, Paris
Through June 30, 2025

Curated by Alicia Knock, Paris Noir at the Centre Pompidou brings together 150 artists from the Caribbean, Africa, and the United States, exploring Paris's pivotal role in the decolonization narrative. As Knock explains, the exhibition offers “a deep dive into 20th-century Paris, to better understand the role the capital played in the struggle for African emancipation.”

The exhibition features over 300 works, many displayed in France for the first time. Highlights include James Barnor's evocative photographs of the African diaspora in 1960s London and Billie Zangewa's silk tapestries, such as The Rebirth of Black Venus (2010), which reframe narratives of Black femininity and resilience. Paris Noir invites quiet reflection on the artistic contributions that have shaped the city's cultural landscape. Learn more at Centre Pompidou.

Beauford Delanay, Paris Noir , Image courtesy of @Louvrepourtous. 

Tasweer Photography Festival, Fire Station – Doha
March–May 2025

Earlier this year, unx-art visited Qatar to explore the third edition of the Tasweer Photography Festival at the Fire Station —a platform that celebrates cross-cultural exchange and visual storytelling. Held within Doha’s luminous architecture, the festival’s layout and scenography gave space for works to breathe and resonate.

Standout artists from North and West Africa offered fresh takes on memory, identity, and place. Notably, Mous Lamrabat’s surreal imagery infused Moroccan heritage with pop culture, while Maya-Inès Touam’s portraiture used fashion and symbolism to reframe North African identity.

Tasweer reminded us that photography, when intentional, becomes a language of grace. Explore the festival at Tasweer. 

 Esquisse, Untitled 2019, Fine Art on Hahnemühle paper ©Maya-Inès Touam

Superfine: Tailoring Black Style – The Met NY, New York
May 10–October 26, 2025

At The Met’s Costume Institute, Superfine offers a sweeping visual journey through Black style over three centuries, framed by the concept of dandyism. From 18th-century Atlantic fashion shaped by empire and resistance to the bold couture of today, this exhibition explores how self-presentation became both art and armour.

Twelve themed sections—like Heritage, Beauty, and Cosmopolitanism—trace the power of dress as identity, strategy, and defiance. Designers such as Ib Kamara and L’Enchanteur join portraits, garments, and photographs to show how Black elegance transcends eras and boundaries.

It is visually rich, editorially sharp, and culturally layered—a lighter moment with serious resonance. Style, here, is resistance made beautiful. See more at The Met

Why It Matters

These exhibitions differ in medium, geography, and scale. But what unites them is a common refusal to simplify. Whether in the cloth of a jacket, the shadows of a photograph, or the brushstroke of an abstract painting, each resists flattening the narrative of African and diasporic art.

As unx-art continues to evolve—from a digital-native curatorial platform into a physical gallery and now an international exhibitor—our purpose remains: to bring forward art that is rooted, intelligent, and resonant.

This spring, we invite you to pause, to look closer—and uncover art that speaks to you.

Discover the collection at unx-art.net, and follow @unx.art for for more behind the scenes.