Smithsonian Opens Largest LGBTQ+ African Art Exhibition

The Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art just made history with its largest exhibition celebrating LGBTQ+ African artists. "Here: Pride and Belonging in African Art" showcases nearly 60 works from 30 artists across the continent and its diasporas, running through August 2026.

The exhibition started small in 2022 when curator Kevin Dumouchelle planned a book about LGBTQ+ African artists. He quickly realized the community was far more expansive than he imagined, bringing on curator and author Serubiri Moses to help expand the project.

Together, their research grew from 15 artists to more than 70. What began as a book transformed into a major museum exhibition and a larger initiative called the Here Project, which will continue giving platforms to these artists through programming and publications.

The exhibition spans centuries, from a 19th-century Kuyu sculpture from the Republic of Congo depicting a body with both male and female forms to contemporary photography and digital art. That ancient sculpture, once used to teach about healing and social maturation, proves that multiple gender identities have long existed in African art history.

The show features celebrated artists like Zanele Muholi alongside five of their former students whose work had never been shown in an American museum before. Muholi's commitment to training new generations reflects the exhibition's broader message: this isn't about individual artists but about community and continuing their stories.

Moses interviewed artists extensively and discovered something that counters common narratives. While more than half of Africa's 54 countries ban homosexuality, the artists he spoke with are "celebrated, they are welcome and they are at home." They're creating work that's joyful and meaningful, staying connected to their communities despite challenges.

The exhibition draws inspiration from smaller African shows in the 2010s, including "The Progress of Love" in Lagos and "Precarious Imaging" in Dakar. Moses intentionally included participants from as many African nations as possible, representing countries from Mauritius to Benin to Egypt.

Why This Inspires

This exhibition does something powerful: it shows the full, nuanced reality of LGBTQ+ life in Africa beyond stereotypes of only oppression and strife. The artists persist in securing their rights while producing work that connects deeply with their communities.

Moses hopes the show will encourage museums to collect more of this work and inspire historians to document this rich art history properly. "This show is monumental," he says, calling it "a strong, persuasive claim" that deserves proper historical recognition.

Art has always been about telling our full human story, and "Here" makes sure those stories get told.