Exploring identity and representation

School of Art Assistant professor Anna Binta Diallo is featured in three major group exhibitions this winter: Afrotopos in Québec, Black Prairies in Regina, and Facing Photographs in Banff. These exhibitions explore themes of identity, history, and representation through photography and contemporary media.

Facing Photographs is inspired by Rosalie Favell’s Facing the Camera series (2008–2018), which captured over 500 portraits of artists and arts workers across Canada, Australia, and the United States. Featuring works from Banff Centre’s Permanent Collection, the exhibition reflects on agency, self-representation, and the politics of portraiture. Artists include Lori Blondeau, Cassils, Anna Binta Diallo, John Edmonds, Evergon, Rosalie Favell, Logan MacDonald, Nadia Myre, Shelley Niro, Barbara Spohr, and Jin-me Yoon. (Fellow School of Art Associate Professor Lori Blondeau is also featured in this exhibition.)

Black Prairies explores over a century of Black cultural production in the Prairies, featuring historical photographs and contemporary works. Highlights include archival glass plate negatives by Black Manitoban photographer William “Billy” Beal, images from the Frank B. Jamerson fonds, and newly commissioned pieces by artists including Christina Battle, Anna Binta Diallo, Cheryl Foggo, and Chukwudubem Ukaigwe. The exhibition examines Black migration, homesteading, and identity.

Afrotopos brings together artists including Damien Ajavon, Delali Cofie, Anna Binta Diallo, Marie-Danielle Duval, and others to explore African futurism and speculative narratives. Rooted in Felwine Sarr’s concept of Afrotopia, the exhibition reimagines Africa’s present and future through a mix of personal histories and utopian visions.