WELCOME TO MUSEUM GEOGRAPHIES
This site features essays, blog posts, exhibition reviews and other commentaries examining the cultural geographies of museums, galleries, heritage and the arts, researched and written by Carol Ann Dixon, Ph.D.
LATEST POSTS
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1-54 London, 2022: Celebrating 10 Years of the Contemporary African Art Fair at Somerset House
The October 2022 edition of 1-54 London – a major art fair showcasing modern and contemporary works by African and African Diaspora artists – celebrated its tenth anniversary at Somerset House. This illustrated review presents a selection of the standout exhibits, including Grada Kilomba’s Fountain Court installation, “O Barco/The Boat” (2021), photography and bronze casts…
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In the Black Fantastic – African Diaspora Artists Visualising A Future Beyond Racialisation
Carol Ann Dixon’s illustrated review of ‘In the Black Fantastic,’ curated by Ekow Eshun. This group exhibition at the Hayward Gallery, London (29 June – 18 September 2022), featured works by eleven internationally acclaimed African diaspora artists. Elements of myth, spirituality, folklore, otherworldly imaginings and speculative fiction combined to offer creative responses to everyday experiences…
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The Liberatory Aesthetics of ‘Africa Fashion’ at the V&A, London, July 2022 – April 2023
An illustrated review of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s ‘Africa Fashion’ exhibition, written by Carol Ann Dixon, Ph.D. More than 250 items featured in this showcase, including contemporary couture by fashion-forward collectives (such as MMUSOMAXWELL and Lagos Space Programme), strip-woven aṣọ-òkè and kente textiles, Adire indigo-dyed fabrics, and east and southern African kangas.
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Black Chapel: Serpentine Pavilion 2022, created by Theaster Gates
Carol Ann Dixon’s illustrated review of ‘Black Chapel’ – an architectural structure designed by Chicago-born contemporary visual artist and arts scholar Theaster Gates as the 2022 Serpentine Pavilion. This major public art commission is on view in Kensington Gardens, London, through to October 16th, 2022.
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African Photojournalism at the Tropenmuseum: Faces, Expressions and Fabrics of Solidarity
One of the highlights of my trip to the Netherlands in July 2022 was viewing a series of photo narratives that formed part of the presentation “World Press Photo: Through the Lens of Contemporary Photographers from Africa,” exhibited at the Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam (24 June 2021 to 08 January 2023), and curated in partnership with the…
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The National Windrush Monument, London, UK
One of the key advantages of living in London, that far outweigh its well-documented costliness and environmental downsides, is the opportunity to view internationally outward-facing public works of art that have the power to generate significant cultural ripple effects and transcend their physical display settings. The most recent major art commission to trigger this type…
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