Afriques Capitales was presented as an exhibition in two episodes: in Paris, as part of the 100% Afrique festival by La Villette cultural park, and in Lille as part of the festival lille 3000. Funding for the exhibitions came from the Total Foundation (France) and the Sindika Dokolo Foundation (Angola).
At the time of this two-part exhibition, Paris abounded with African art. The Louis Vuitton Foundation, the Art Paris Art Fair, the Month of the Photo, the Institute of the Arab World, and even the department stores Galeries Lafayette and BHV-Marais featured Africa-themed exhibitions. At once expansive and focused, Afriques Capitales stood out with an incisive curatorial vision and offered a unique visiting experience, one that opened opportunities for unexpected confluences—particularly in Paris, where the installation was deliberately jumbled, chaotic, and lively.
Afriques Capitales presented works by sixty-eight artists, of whom seventeen are women, and included both well-known and early-career...