How have artists from Africa and its vast diaspora depicted daily life over the past century? This landmark exhibition offers a rich variety of answers to the question, presenting a kaleidoscope of Black figurative painting from the 1920s to the present day, a century of black figuration in painting.

Inspired by Ava DuVernay’s series When They See Us, the exhibition title When We See Us reflects a fundamental perspective exploring Black self-representation and global Black subjectivities. The approximately 150 works by around 120 artists are grouped into six themes: The Everyday, Joy & Revelry, Repose, Sensuality, Spirituality, and Triumph and Emancipation.

By focusing on these themes, the exhibition offers a rich, nuanced view of Black life and thought, emphasising the resilience, essence, and political charge of Black joy. It highlights relationships between artists and artworks across geographic, generational, and conceptual contexts, fostering a deeper understanding of a complex and underrepresented genealogy rooted in African and Black modernities. When We See Us encourages discussion on Black liberation and intellectual movements and celebrates experiences from Africa and the African diaspora contributing to the art historical canon.

The exhibition was curated by Koyo Kouoh, Executive Director and Chief Curator of Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town, who tragically passed away in May 2025. On this exhibition, she worked closely with co-curator​​​​​​​ Tandazani Dhlakama.

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