Sguardi sull’Africa
March 1st – May 17, 2026
Nashira Gallery presents Sguardi sull’Africa, an exhibition curated by Samuele Menin and Paolo Giglio, open to the public at the Palazzo Gotico in Piacenza until May 17, 2026. The exhibition can be visited from Monday to Friday from 10 a.m to 13 p.m and from 3 to 6 p.m, while on Saturday and Sunday it is open from 10 a.m to 7 p.m.
Africa, widely regarded as the cradle of humanity, is a continent defined by extraordinary cultural vitality and a rich diversity of traditions and visual languages. A longstanding source of inspiration for Western modernism — influencing artists such as Picasso, Modigliani and Giacometti — African art has, in recent years, gained growing recognition on the international stage through major museum exhibitions, biennials and significant market attention.
Sguardi sull’Africa marks the first large-scale exhibition in Italy dedicated to exploring the complexity and breadth of African artistic production over the past century. The project brings together more than 200 works and artefacts from two significant private collections — the Giglio Collection and Collezione 54 — creating a dialogue that spans historical ritual objects to contemporary practices. The exhibition features a site-specific display designed by Fosbury Architecture within the monumental spaces of Palazzo Gotico.
The exhibition unfolds across four sections: Objects and Ritual Sculptures, presenting masks and artefacts collected over more than seventy years across West and Central Africa; Painting from Morocco, tracing developments in Moroccan art from the postwar period to the present; Contemporary African Art, showcasing internationally active artists from the continent and its diaspora working across painting, photography, sculpture, installation and video; and Young Voices of Africa, dedicated to a new generation of emerging artists and featuring Ako Atikossie, represented by Nashira Gallery.
A programme of educational events, talks, round tables and performances accompanies the exhibition, further enriching the visitor experience and offering a nuanced perspective on a continent in constant evolution.
Installation view, Sguardi sull’Africa, Palazzo Gotico, Piacenza, Courtesy Lara Facco
Ako Atikossie, L’Europa o L’Assenza, coloured plaster sculptures, 73x40×40 cm
Chagas Edson, Tipo Passe (Diana S. Sakulombo), 2014, photographic print, 100×80 cm, Courtesy m3studio
Installation view, Sguardi sull’Africa, Palazzo Gotico, Piacenza, Courtesy Lara Facco
Abdoulaye Konate’, DANSE AU CONSERVATOIRE N.9, 2011, textile, 236×127 cm
Ako Atikossie, Apertura della capsula, 2025, acrylic and oil on canvas, 220x128x9 cm
Installation view, Sguardi sull’Africa, Palazzo Gotico, Piacenza, Courtesy Lara Facco
