The Brooklyn Museum is transporting visitors to a pulsing, complex world rich in kaleidoscopic cloth and afrobeats, with “Africa Fashion" — a dazzling new show with more than 180 pieces of contemporary and historic clothing, textiles and jewelry on view, beginning June 23-Oct. 22.
The exhibition is the largest-ever presentation of the subject in North America. It features an eclectic group of mid-20th-century and contemporary African designers, collectives and fashion photographers — many of which are exhibiting for the first time in the U.S.
The show is rife with textiles, ephemera, music and visual art as the hallways of the Brooklyn Museum are transformed into a glorious celebration of Blackness, African identity and liberatory expression.
The show's curators — the Museum’s Sills Foundation Curator of African Art Ernestine White-Mifetut and the Museum’s Postdoctoral Fellow in the Arts of Africa Annissa Malvoisin — are successful in capturing the evolving expression and political activation of a continent through its fashion.
Organized thematically, the exhibition features immersive displays of haûte couture and ready-to-wear apparel, as well as fabrics, photography, books, music and catwalk footage from more than 40 designers and artists across 20 countries in Africa.
The first theme is "The Cultural Renaissance," which showcases work made during the 1950s-1990s and is an exploration of radical political, social and cultural change throughout the continent as more African countries gained independence.
"Politics and Poetics of Cloth" is the second theme, which celebrates the strategic political significance of indigenous textiles and displays a captivating array of wax prints and commemorative clothing.
The third theme, "Capturing Change,” celebrates the independence that arrived with the transformative impact of affordable photography. As part of this exhibit, the museum invited visitors to share their own family portraits to contribute to the exhibition's collective narrative in celebration of the vibrant and diverse African diasporic community flourishing within Brooklyn.
The first generation of African designers to gain global attention is highlighted in the "Vanguard" section — the fourth theme.
"Cutting Edge," the fifth theme, introduces a new wave of visionary designers and creatives, with concepts like "afrotopia" leading the way.
The sixth theme, "Through the Photographer's Lens," explores contemporary photography and film, which make way for a new digital African identity.
The exhibition concludes with the final theme, “Global Africa,” which explores how the digital world accelerated the expansion of Africa’s influence in the fashion industry.
"This incredible exhibition marks the largest of its kind ever to exhibit in the U.S., and we are so excited to introduce this rich history and the powerful influence of African creatives to our hallways," White-Mifetut said. "Without African histories, we would not have this show. We would simply not be here."
With more than 50 pieces sourced from several of the Museum’s collections, this show is a tapestry of cultural treasures. Many of the items have not previously been on view, the curators said.
Alara, an extraordinary concept store in Lagos, created a captivating retail experience for the show. The expansive Brooklyn Museum store pop-up features art, clothing and goods from over 100 Black brands. Among them are notable designers showcased in the exhibition, including Christie Brown, Lafalaise Dion and Tongoro.
"With this Lagos-based concept store, we have the opportunity to really give the visitor a window into the beauty that we all know is from Africa and the opportunity to take something home with them," White-Mifetut said. "Please enjoy the shop. Please enjoy the experience. Enjoy the beauty, the culture and the richness that we know is what Africa is."
While there is a crucial political dimension working through the exhibition, there is also an Afro-futuristic vision where reinvention and hope are made possible through fashion.
The first comprehensive recognition of the ingenuity and global impact of African-born designers on Brooklyn grounds is a visionary diasporic collaboration not to be missed.
For more information, visit the Brooklyn Museum website.
