African LGBTQ+ Artists Exhibition at the Smithsonian

A groundbreaking exhibition celebrating the creativity, identity, and resilience of African LGBTQ+ artists is drawing international attention at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art. Titled Here: Pride and Belonging in African Art, the exhibition is the museum's first major showcase dedicated to queer African artistic expression and is currently on view through August 23, 2026.

The exhibition features nearly 60 works spanning photography, painting, sculpture, textiles, and video by approximately 30 artists from Africa and its diaspora. Among the participating artists are South African visual activist Zanele Muholi, Nigerian-British photographer Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Ugandan sculptor Leilah Babirye, Kenyan artist Kawira Mwirichia, and filmmaker Jim Chuchu.

Through diverse artistic approaches, the exhibition explores themes of identity, belonging, migration, memory, spirituality, love, and resistance. The works challenge stereotypes about African societies while amplifying voices that have often been overlooked in mainstream art institutions.

Museum officials describe the exhibition as an opportunity to engage with the richness and diversity of contemporary African experiences. Beyond its artistic significance, the exhibition contributes to broader conversations about representation, inclusion, and cultural heritage in museums around the world.

As visitors continue to flock to the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art, Here: Pride and Belonging in African Art stands as one of the most significant African art exhibitions of 2026, offering audiences a powerful reflection on identity, community, and the evolving landscape of contemporary African art.

MICHAEL OMOTOSHO SHOWS “ADULTHOOD”

Title: Copy Copy (acrylic & graphite on canvas, 2026) A collaborative painting by Omotosho and Orecious Egbugara

Title: The Land is a Giant Whale (acrylic on canvas)

Multidisciplinary artist, writer, and art tutor Michael Omotosho is set to debut his highly anticipated solo art exhibition, titled "ADULTHOOD: The Weight, The In-Between, The Becoming,” later this month. The exhibition will run from June 26th to June 28th, 2026, at MADHOUSE, located on Oduduwa Drive within the University of Lagos (UNILAG) campus. Doors open daily at 10:00 AM prompt. 

Omotosho’s latest body of work explores the intense emotional and psychological realities of navigating young adulthood. Utilising a mix of oil painting, textile design, and mixed media, his pieces dive into the unspoken, challenging transitions of growing up in what the artist describes as the "hood, the bad, and the ugly realities" of the human experience. A recurring signature in his work is the "floating head," a powerful motif symbolising suspension, uncertainty, and the quiet internal struggles that define modern youth.

Omotosho

Deeply rooted in community and collaboration, the exhibition features the tagline "Multiple Voices, One Chorus," emphasising shared human experiences. Omotosho approaches loneliness as a pressing global epidemic, using his studio practice to examine how community structures can either alleviate or heighten isolation. The event is organised in partnership with MADHOUSE and The Mio Space.

As a Global Arts in Medicine Fellow and a veteran of prestigious residencies, including the 70 Years of Music in Nigeria residency, Omotosho continues to position art as a critical tool for social dialogue, mental health awareness, and cultural connection. For art collectors, students, and culture enthusiasts in Lagos, this three-day exhibition offers an immersive, thought-provoking mirror into the contemporary African experience of coming of age.

Pretoria Kicks Off Winter with Celebration Group Show

One of the will be on view, by Linda Tyrell

Pretoria’s art scene gets an early dose of colour this week as TERRACONTEMPORARY opens Celebration, a group exhibition featuring 12 South African artists, including Linda Tyrell, Céline Lefort, Kingsley Palime and Leon van Vuuren.

The show opens Thursday, June 25, 2026 and runs through July 23, 2026, at TerraContemporary, 5 Diep-in-die-Berg Street, Wapadrand, Pretoria. The curator Anne Scheffer says the exhibition was conceived as an antidote to mid-year fatigue, bringing together painting, sculpture and mixed media that explore joy, resilience and community.

“After a heavy first half of 2026, we wanted to spotlight artists who still find reasons to celebrate,” a gallery rep noted. The line-up mixes established names with emerging voices, making it one of Pretoria’s most diverse winter openings.

TERRACONTEMPORARY has built a reputation for platforming contemporary SA voices outside the Johannesburg circuit, and Celebration continues that mandate. Expect bold palettes, textured surfaces, and work that leans into optimism without ignoring reality. Opening hours are Wed-Sat, 10am-4pm. The show is free to attend.

Thirza Schaap Turns Ocean Waste into ‘Fatal Flowers’ in Joburg

Dutch-South African artist Thirza Schaap returns to Johannesburg this weekend with Fatal Flowers, a one-day-only exhibition opening Saturday, June 27, 2026, at 11:00. The show at Jan Smuts Creative Hub, 223 Jan Smuts Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg, South Africa, will feature her signature sculptures: hyper-realistic flowers crafted entirely from plastic waste collected from South Africa’s coastlines.

State of Becoming Explores Transformation at Tina Skukan Gallery

Straatboom in Seepunt IV

Tina Skukan Gallery opens State of Becoming this Sunday, June 28, 2026, at11:30, presenting four Pretoria-based artists: Stephen Russell-Brett, Adele Jooste, Mia van Wyk and Wilna Mentz. The exhibition runs through July 23, 2026, at Plot 6, Koedoeberg Rd, Faerie Glen, Pretoria, South Africa.