SAN FRANCISCO — The Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) hosts ‘Unbound: Art, Blackness, & the Universe,’ an exhibition that intricately explores cosmic influences. Occupying all three floors, it delves into how African and African diasporic artists conceptualize the universe through ancestral and futuristic lenses.
The exhibition begins with early- to mid-20th-century wooden sculptures from West Africa, featuring an elongated Dogon figure and a Yoruba Oshe Sango staff. Visitors are invited to consider their own bodies as cosmological maps, with ritual objects acting as conduits to ancestors and deities. The Dogon piece symbolizes a vertical connection between earth and sky, while the Oshe Sango staff relies on touch and motion to activate spiritual forces.
Mikael Owunna’s luminous photography, showcasing figures adorned with celestial designs, envelops visitors as they move through the exhibition, creating an interstellar experience. On another floor, Harmonia Rosales’s ‘Creation Story’ (2021) illustrates a dynamic encounter between Yoruba deities Yemayá and Obatalá, blending African mythology with Renaissance artistry.
Didier William’s ‘Dark Shores’ (2024) features silhouettes on a dynamic landscape, their futuristic presence hinting at diasporic histories and personal migration narratives. Meanwhile, Gustavo Nazareno’s triptych, ‘The Secret Matrices of Creation’ (2025), draws from Afro-Brazilian spiritual traditions, presenting orishas emerging from shadows into light.
Oasa DuVerney’s graphite drawings, part of the Black Power Wave series, depict sacred themes. ‘Black Power Wave as Bodhisattva Manjushri Sankofa’ (2023) presents mirrored figures that embody the intersection of wisdom and historical reflection. ‘Unbound’ traverses between past and future, encouraging diverse interpretations of the universe beyond conventional Western scientific views.
‘Unbound: Art, Blackness & the Universe’ is on display at the Museum of the African Diaspora (685 Mission Street, San Francisco, California) until August 16. Curated by Key Jo Lee, the exhibition invites viewers to ponder cosmic knowledge through various cultural and spiritual lenses.
