In Lucca, four African women artists investigate identity and rights in "Bread, Roses and Colors" exhibition

The exhibition Bread, Roses and Colors - Il pane, le rose e i colori (Bread, Roses and Colors), curated by Alessandro Romanini, opens on Friday, May 8, 2026, at 7 p.m. at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Lucca. The initiative, promoted by the Fondazione Banca del Monte di Lucca together with the Fondazione Lucca Sviluppo and supported by the patronage of the City of Lucca and the Region of Tuscany, brings together four African women artists of different generations in a project that weaves artistic research and reflection on contemporary social and cultural dynamics. The exhibition remains open until June 13, 2026, with hours Tuesday through Sunday from 3 to 7 p.m.

The title chosen by the curator takes the slogan of the U.S. textile workers of 1912, Bread and Roses, linked to claims for rights, dignity and better living conditions, and updates it by introducing reference to colors, understood as an expression of freedom and overcoming barriers of gender and race. The conceptual framework of the exhibition thus develops around themes such as identity, inequality, appreciation of cultural roots and civic engagement.

The protagonists of the exhibition are Senegalese sculptor Awa Seni Camara, South African Esther Mahlangu, Nigerian Michelle Okpare and Ivorian Laetitia Ky. Although the four artists belong to different backgrounds and generations, they share an approach that combines artistic practice and attention to social issues. Camara and Mahlangu represent well-established figures in contemporary African art, known for having transformed traditional practices handed down in women’s circles into internationally recognized languages. Alongside them is the research of younger Okpare and Ky, who integrate visual experimentation and activism, addressing issues of identity, body representation and social standards.

The exhibition adopts an interdisciplinary approach, relating painting, sculpture and photography. This dialogue between different languages is intended to highlight continuities and transformations in contemporary African artistic production, with a focus on the plurality of perspectives emerging from different geographical and cultural contexts. The exhibition is accompanied by a program of collateral initiatives that includes screenings and seminars, as well as a bio-bibliographical and editorial apparatus dedicated to the women artists involved. The project is part of a growing international interest in multiculturalism and African and Afro-descendant cultural productions, offering an opportunity for in-depth study and discussion of these issues.

On the same day as the opening, at 9 p.m., the Palazzo delle Esposizioni will host the conference Africa-Italy-Europe. Art and Culture between History, Memory and Hypothesis of Future Collaborations. The meeting brings together scholars, artists and cultural workers from different backgrounds, with the aim of discussing issues related to colonial legacy, migration phenomena, the growth of contemporary African art in the global system and the development of hybrid cultural forms between Africa and Europe. Part of the discussion is devoted to the role of creative industries, from visual arts to music, from film to literature, considered as tools for dialogue and cooperation.

Speakers include Jenny Mbaye, former professor at the University of London and an expert on the dynamics of creative industries in sub-Saharan Africa; Ayoko Mensah, active in the field of cultural management and programming for the Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels (Bozar); Mauro Petroni, who has lived in Dakar for more than 40 years and has contributed to the creation of numerous cultural initiatives; and Roberto Castello, a choreographer and cultural programmer who has been awarded the Ubu prize. Artist and activist Laetitia Ky is also scheduled to participate via a link from New York. The initiative aims to contribute to the definition of more balanced models of collaboration between different geographical contexts, with a specific focus on relations between Africa and Europe. Admission to the exhibition is free.

“The exhibition and roundtable are intended to highlight in its various declinations, a phenomenon that over the past few years has been influencing and renewing music, cinema, literature, fashion design and art; contemporary African creativity,” says curator Alessandro Romanini. "The exhibition Bread, Roses and Colors takes up the historical slogan of women’s claim and brings together the works of four artists, belonging to different generations, who share a constant civil and political activism related to gender politics, as well as the originality of their work. The panel discussion brings together experts from various disciplines, working for important international institutions, to shed light on the main political-cultural, museum, artistic and socio-economic aspects in the context of Africa-Europe relations. Awa Seni Camara (Senegal 1945), who passed away last January, is being celebrated by the Venice Biennale 2026 with numerous exhibited works, just as a heartfelt tribute had been paid by the Venice Biennale in 2024 to the South African Esther Mahlangu, who is being exhibited this year in numerous museum spaces. Internationally for her 90th birthday. Both were previously featured in the historic Pompidou exhibition in Paris, 1989’s Magicians de la Terre. Nigerian Michelle Okpare (1996) is now the protagonist of an art program of the multinational Zoppas and is fresh from exhibitions in Paris and Los Angeles, while Ivorian Laetitia Ky (1996), in recent months is exhibiting at the Kunsthalle in Munich, Mucem in Marseille, 1:54 New York and at the end of May at the Museo delle Periferie in Rome. She is also eeduce from the Cannes Film Festival 2026 where she is starring in the film Prmised Sky."

In Lucca, four African women artists investigate identity and rights in "Bread, Roses and Colors" exhibition

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