In Brilliant Light, Wereldmuseum Leiden & Berg en Dal, 2023

In Brilliant Light

African modernist architecture is the point of departure for the exhibition design of In Brilliant Light. In the 1950s and 1960s, most African countries became independent, and architecture became an important way for these countries to express their national identity. Parliament buildings, central banks, stadiums, convention centers, universities and monuments often had eye-catching architectural designs. Europe could no longer claim a monopoly on modernism. This development stands in stark contrast to common ideas about African architecture, which is often dismissed as simplistic and traditional. Inspired by various modernist buildings from Ghana, Zambia, Ivory Coast and Senegal, Studio L A designed exhibition elements on which works of art are exhibited, but where people can also stay, walk through or pass by.

The exhibition In Brilliant Light explores the unique ways that artists relate to Africa’s rich cultural history. They use their art to rewrite histories related to the continent and break away from stereotypes, creating new perspectives on the past, present and future. Guest curator Azu Nwagbogu takes the Wereldmuseum’s art collection as a point of departure to tell new stories about Africa and its diaspora. Selected by Azu Nwagbogu, the artists of In Brilliant Light respond to themes related to the Wereldmuseum’s collection, drawing on colonial histories and offering new visions of Africa and its diaspora. Azu Nwagbogu brings the museum’s collection into dialogue with current thinking on colonialism and its repercussions today.