There is a common thread of misinformation that has been woven into the origin stories of descendants from the Diaspora. Whether dispersed around the world as a result of the intercontinental slave trade or colonized for the sake of empire building – a dangerous myth is perpetuated. At the crux of the fable is the unspeakable horrors experienced as a result of either, or both, were ultimately for the greater good of Black people.
The story goes that the systemic racism, dismissal of agency and humanity, theft of natural and human resources and the practice of imposing a sense of inferiority in the grand scheme of global citizenship were insignificant byproducts from the blessing of Eurocentric civilization and culture.
This thread is unraveled upon the entry of “Narrative Wisdom and African Arts.” The highly anticipated multi-media exhibition opened at the Saint Louis Art Museum on Friday, October 18. It is their largest institutionally organized ticketed exhibition of sub-Saharan African art.
“This exhibition is a groundbreaking examination of how visual arts, oral traditions and memory intersect,” said Min Jung Kim, Barbara B. Taylor Director of the Saint Louis Art Museum in her opening remarks for the “Narrative Wisdom” audio guide. “Featuring historical arts from across sub-Saharan Africa and contemporary art by artists working in Africa and worldwide, the exhibition demonstrates a wide range of material, political, and philosophical approaches to narrative.”
“Narrative Wisdom” continues through February 16, 2025 and includes a robust array of related programming that began this weekend and continues in the coming months.
“‘Narrative Wisdom’ emphasizes the intersections between the visual and verbal in African arts,” said Nichole Bridges, Saint Louis Art Museum’s Morton D. May Curator of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. “The exhibition explores the ways that African arts help to make oral histories and individual and collective memories tangible and concrete.”
Curated by Bridges, “Narrative Wisdom” takes the viewer from ancient sub Saharan Africa to the post-colonial continent of today. The exhibition was six years in the making. It features more than 150 works in a variety of media including sculptures, textiles, works on paper, photography, painting and time-based media created by artists from sub-Saharan Africa as well as contemporary African artists working globally. The chronological timeline of featured works ranges from the 13th to the 21st century. According to the museum, the exhibition considers how historic and contemporary works—facilitate, document, reinforce or critique narratives, such as leadership legitimacy, memory of place, prescriptions for healing and destiny, and enduring ancestral wisdoms.
“Narrative Wisdom” presents nearly 50 works from the museum’s collection along with objects on loan from museums and private collections around the world. Works from SLAM’s collection include 16 given in 1983 by Morton D. May – the museum’s most prolific donor – as well as 18 more recent acquisitions that have enriched the museum’s African art collection.
Bridges’ passion and depth of knowledge was apparent from the moment she started discussing the introductory gallery. As she talked about the intention of the introductory space, sounds of African instrumentation and voices played in the background.
“In this gallery, we have a number of musical instruments,” Bridges said. “They help to suggest and remind our visitors that anytime these oral traditions were relayed, it was a multisensory experience. It wasn’t just one person talking – like I’m doing now. There was usually musical accompaniment. There was often a call and response interaction, with clapping and repetition – to make sure that this was very much a communal activity.”
Her description mirrored a definition of what one is likely to experience while visiting a Black church. The ambient sounds described conjured the same energy. The moment was the first of many demonstrations of how there are ties that bind us to this very day, despite our traumatic forced separation. Ironically, the title of the sound art installation she was describing was entitled “Ties That Bind.” The 2019 piece by Emeka Ogboh helped set the tone for “Prelude: Oral Traditions.”
“At the heart of the composition is the use of mbem, an ancient Igbo oral performance art, narrated by Igbo musician Nwachukwu Uwakwe. Mbem is a unique blend of song and speech, serving both educational and entertainment purposes,” Ogboh says in the exhibition’s audio guide. “Mbem plays a crucial role in transmitting cultural knowledge and history, and in this piece it narrates the story of the Bantu migration, a significant event in African history.”
As Bridges guided a small group through subsequent galleries, moments of kindred connections were everywhere along the path. And refreshingly, “Narrative Wisdom” is not framed through a theme of shared suffering.
“While you explore, I hope you will consider how these arts—made by historical artists across Africa and by contemporary African artists who work around the globe—support or challenge narratives centered around four primary themes: leadership, memory, destiny, and ancestral wisdoms,” Bridges said in the audio guide.
Through “Narrative Wisdom” the full truth about Africa – including her strength, history and legacy – are displayed front and center.
The Saint Louis Art Museum’s presentation of “Narrative Wisdom and African Arts” continues through February 16, 2025 at Saint Louis Art Museum, One Fine Arts Drive, St. Louis MO 63110. For more information and details about programming related to the exhibition, visit www.slam.org.
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