NEW YORK, NY, April 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — THIRDSPACE Art Foundation today announced 1922 Revisited, a live arts program to be presented during the preview of the 61st edition of the Venice Biennale (May 5–9, 2026). Curated by art historian Dr. Janine A. Sytsma, the program brings together performance artists from across Africa and its diasporas to critically engage the historical representation of African art within the Biennale.
_____
The project takes as its point of departure a special exhibition presented at the 1922 Venice Biennale, in which African sculptures were displayed within a broader European exhibitionary framework. While often cited as an early instance of African art appearing in the Biennale, the exhibition simultaneously reinforced the colonial hierarchies of the time, positioning African cultural production within a constructed narrative of primitivism and inferiority.
A century later, 1922 Revisited returns to this moment not to commemorate it, but to interrogate it. Through performance, participating artists engage the fragmentary archive of the 1922 exhibition, examining how its narratives were constructed and how they continue to shape contemporary understandings of African and diasporic art.
The program is developed in dialogue with the curatorial direction of the 2026 Biennale, led by Artistic Director Koyo Kouoh. Participating artists include Jelili Atiku (Nigeria), Tsedaye Makonnen (United States/Ethiopia), Jermay Michael Gabriel Cappellin, Va-Bene Fiatsi (Ghana), Zora Snake (Cameroon), Wura-Natasha Ogunji (United States/Nigeria), ruby onyinyechi amanze (Nigeria/United States), and Bernard Akoi-Jackson (Ghana), among others.
The initiative is presented by THIRDSPACE Art Foundation in collaboration with the African Art in Venice Forum and the European Cultural Centre, with additional institutional and academic partnerships supporting research, programming, and documentation.
_____
“1922 Revisited is grounded in a critical return to a formative moment in the Biennale’s history,” said Dr. Sytsma. “The 1922 exhibition did not simply introduce African art into a global context; it framed it through the logics of empire. This program asks how those structures persist, and how they might be challenged through contemporary artistic practice.”
_____
Extending the live program, an edited volume titled Harmonies of Repair: Revisiting the 1922 Exhibition of African Art Through Performance at the Venice Biennale is in development, amplifying the project’s critical inquiries through scholarly essays, artist reflections, and curatorial perspectives.
Through its combined focus on performance, research, and publication, 1922 Revisited contributes to ongoing efforts to expand and redefine how African and diasporic art is represented, interpreted, and circulated within global exhibition platforms.
_____
Key Facts
- 1922 Revisited will be presented May 5–9, 2026, during the preview of the 61st Venice Biennale
- The program is curated by Dr. Janine A. Sytsma, Founder of THIRDSPACE Art Foundation
- Participating artists represent multiple regions across Africa and its diasporas
- The project critically engages the 1922 Biennale exhibition of African art
- A companion scholarly publication is planned for release in Spring 2027
_____
About THIRDSPACE Art Foundation
THIRDSPACE Art Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting contemporary art of Global Africa through curatorial projects, research, and international collaboration. The foundation’s work focuses on fostering cross-cultural dialogue, advancing critical perspectives, and creating platforms for artists whose practices engage global histories and contemporary conditions.
To learn more visit: https://thirdspaceartfoundation.org/
- Jelili Atiku @ 1922 Revisited; Live Performance at Venice Biennale 2026
