Abdias do Nascimento's Vision and the Global Influence of Quilombismo

In December 1980, exiled Afro-Brazilian artist and scholar Abdias do Nascimento articulated the core ideas that anchored his life's work. As an anti-racist and Black rights activist from the age of fifteen, he often witnessed São Paulo’s predominantly white police force harassing his peers. He emphasized “the urgent need of the Brazilian Black people to win back their memory.” This culminated in his essay, “Quilombismo: An Afro-Brazilian Political Alternative,” which urged resistance against centuries of dehumanizing, rigid Eurocentrism. These ideas have resonated with communities, activists, and entire populations globally.

The Exhibition: Project a Black Planet

Alongside Garveyism and Négritude, Nascimento’s Quilombismo stands as one of the three key Black liberation movements highlighted in the exhibition Project a Black Planet: the Art and Culture of Panafrica at the Art Institute of Chicago. This exhibition spans 12 galleries and offers viewers a thrilling journey into the meaning and significance of Pan-Africanism to artists both past and present.

Pan-Africanism's Far-Reaching Impact

For over a century, Pan-Africanism has influenced regions from Africa and South America to the US and the Caribbean. Its reach, encompassing Black Internationalism to Afro-Modernity and Afropolitanism, represents, as co-curator Antawan I. Byrd describes, “a complex terrain.” It embodies both a profound idea and an evolving aesthetic. The exhibition's title, with its dual connotations of “projection” (as in envisioning a film or future) and “project” (an ongoing endeavor), presents a dynamic interplay between idealism and activism. “Pan-Africanism dreams of global unity, cooperation, and equity,” says Byrd. Yet, these utopian dreams also spark countless creative endeavors and activist movements.

Featured Works and Artists

The show includes works from American Modernist Beauford Delaney and British contemporary painter Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. Among the 350 objects on display are pieces created amid political upheaval, such as Mozambican artist Malangatana Ngwenya’s prison drawings. Other works resonate with ideas proposed by Nascimento, Marcus Garvey, Frantz Fanon, and other pivotal thinkers. Highlights include Chris Ofili’s Union Black (2003), a reinterpretation of the British flag in Pan-African colors, and Kerry James Marshall’s wall piece Africa Restored (Cheryl as Cleopatra) (2003), which presents Africa as a charm-filled bas-relief.

Chicago's Role in Celebrating Pan-Africanism

This exhibition concludes the year-long Panafrica Across Chicago season. Since the 1893 Congress on Africa, Chicago has been instrumental not only in the birth of Pan-Africanism but also in maintaining its vibrancy. The city’s enthusiasm is palpable, as Byrd notes: “The response has been incredible. There’s much enthusiasm all around.”