The Fondazione Banca del Monte di Lucca, together with Fondazione Lucca Sviluppo and under the patronage of the Municipality of Lucca and the Tuscany Region, presents the exhibition “Bread, Roses and Colors / Il Pane, le Rose e i Colori”, curated by Alessandro Romanini, at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Piazza San Martino 7, Lucca.
The project brings together four African women artists from different generations and is accompanied by a round table discussion (Friday, May 8 at 9:00 PM, following the opening), featuring internationally renowned speakers. This event offers an opportunity to explore the role of contemporary art within global social and cultural dynamics.
The exhibition title, conceived by the curator, draws inspiration from the historic 1912 slogan of American textile workers—symbolizing the struggle for dignity, rights, and equality—and updates it by introducing the theme of “colors,” understood as a metaphor for expressive freedom beyond barriers of gender and race.
The exhibition features four internationally acclaimed African artists: Senegalese sculptor Awa Seni Camara (b. 1945), who is being honored this year with a major tribute at the Venice Biennale; South African artist Esther Mahlangu (b. 1936), whose 90th birthday is being celebrated through numerous international exhibitions; Nigerian artist Michelle Okpare (b. 1996); and Ivorian artist Laetitia Ky (b. 1996). Despite their different backgrounds and generations, these artists share a strong commitment to themes such as female identity, inequality, the valorization of cultural roots, and social engagement.
The interdisciplinary exhibition brings together painting, sculpture, and photography. Alongside established figures in contemporary African art such as Camara and Mahlangu—who have transformed traditional, women-led practices into globally recognized artistic languages—the works of younger artists Okpare and Ky highlight experimental approaches and activism, addressing issues such as identity, body representation, and social norms.
The exhibition is accompanied by a program of related events, including screenings and seminars, as well as an extensive biographical, bibliographical, and editorial apparatus.
On Friday, May 8 at 9:00 PM, also at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni, a conference titled “Africa–Italy–Europe. Art and Culture between History, Memory, and Prospects for Future Collaboration” will bring together international scholars, artists, and cultural practitioners. The discussion will focus on themes such as colonial legacy, migration, the growth of contemporary African art within the global system, and the development of new hybrid cultural forms between Africa and Europe. Particular attention will be given to the role of the creative industries—from visual arts to music, cinema, and literature—as tools for dialogue and cooperation.
Speakers include Jenny Mbaye, former lecturer at the University of London and expert on creative economies in Sub-Saharan Africa; Ayoko Mensah, cultural manager and programmer at the Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels (BOZAR); Mauro Petroni, who has lived in Dakar for over forty years and contributed to numerous artistic initiatives, including the “OFF” section of the Dakar Biennale and “Partcours”; and Roberto Castello, choreographer and cultural programmer, recipient of prestigious awards including the Ubu Prize, who has developed several dance and performance initiatives between Africa and Italy. Nigerian artist Michelle Okpare will also participate, along with artist and activist Laetitia Ky, joining remotely from New York.
The project is set within a context of growing international attention toward multiculturalism and, in particular, African and Afro-descendant cultural production. It aims to contribute to the development of more equitable, inclusive, and “horizontal” models of collaboration between different geographical contexts. This initiative combines artistic research and critical reflection, placing at its core the value of art as a space of freedom, awareness, and connection between cultures.