Exhibitions
MACBA explores Pan-Africanism as a global cultural force with the exhibition “Projecting a Black Planet”
With nearly half a thousand pieces and a hundred artists, the exhibition —co-produced with institutions in Chicago, London and Brussels— is the first major international exhibition dedicated to Pan-Africanism.
“This exhibition invites us to imagine a world inspired by the collaborative spirit of Pan-Africanism,” explains Elvira Dyangani Ose, curator of Projecting a Black Planet. The Art and Culture of Pan-Africa , the new exhibition at MACBA that will be on view until April 6, 2026.
With nearly half a thousand pieces, this is the first major international exhibition to explore the multiple cultural expressions of Pan-Africanism, from its origins in the early 20th century to its contemporary manifestations. It is an ambitious international project promoted jointly with the Art Institute of Chicago and developed in collaboration with two highly prestigious institutions: the Barbican Centre in London and the KANAL Centre Pompidou in Brussels.
VIEWS OF THE EXHIBITION "PROJECTING A BLACK PLANET. THE ART AND CULTURE OF PAN-AFRICA", 2025. PHOTO: MIQUEL COLL.
The combined efforts of these leading centers have allowed the creation of an exhibition of exceptional magnitude, both in terms of the volume and diversity of the pieces and the geographical and conceptual scope of its journey. Thanks to this collaboration, the exhibition will be able to travel and be presented successively at the four participating institutions, where it will remain on display until spring 2027, offering the public a broad and rigorous look at the cultural expressions of Pan-Africanism.
The exhibition brings together nearly a hundred artists and intellectuals from Africa, Europe, North America and South America, with works and materials that span more than a century of creation, from the 1920s —when Pan-Africanism began to be widely recognized— to the present day. The tour proposes a journey through time and various geographies to explore the richness and complexity of this global movement.
The project combines popular creations, books, posters, political speeches and music with artistic disciplines such as painting, photography, sculpture and video, establishing a dialogue between very diverse languages and contexts. One of the most outstanding features of the exhibition is the central role that documentation acquires: newspapers, magazines, brochures and other printed materials coexist with works of art and are valued as essential witnesses to the history and evolution of Pan-Africanism.
This is the first major international exhibition dedicated to analyzing the cultural manifestations of Pan-Africanism from its beginnings to the present day. The exhibition aims to break with the homogenous and reductionist vision that has traditionally been attributed to the movement, to present it as what it really is: a polyphonic, diverse force deeply connected to the history and cultures of the world.
