Exhibition
In the Black Fantastic
Organised by Southbank Centre
An exhibition of 11 contemporary artists from the African diaspora, who draw on science fiction, myth and Afrofuturism to question our knowledge of the world.
Myth, science fiction, spiritual traditions and the legacy of Afrofuturism are all sampled, reimagined and recontextualised in In the Black Fantastic.
Encompassing painting, photography, video, sculpture and mixed-media installations, the exhibition creates immersive aesthetic experiences that bring the viewer into a new environment somewhere between the real world and a multiplicity of imagined ones.
While some artists disrupt our understanding of the past, others invite us to imagine fantastical futures. In this exhibition, fantasy becomes a zone of creative and cultural liberation and a means of addressing racism and social injustice by conjuring new ways of being in the world.
In the Black Fantastic is curated by Ekow Eshun and features the artists Nick Cave, Sedrick Chisom, Ellen Gallagher, Hew Locke, Wangechi Mutu, Rashaad Newsome, Chris Ofili, Tabita Rezaire, Cauleen Smith, Lina Iris Viktor and Kara Walker.
In the Black Fantastic is generously supported by the US Embassy London, Gagosian, Cockayne – Grants for the Arts and The London Community Foundation, Victoria Miro, David Zwirner, Pilar Corrias and Sprüth Magers.
Dazed is the Media Partner for In the Black Fantastic at the Hayward Gallery.
Ahead of your visit, download Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app, and explore the Hayward Gallery’s guide. In it you can find exhibition content, including exclusive audio commentary by curator Ekow Eshun and some of the artists featured. And remember to bring your headphones so you can listen while you’re in the gallery.
Available for download for free on the App Store or Google Play