AfriCOBRA: Nation Time

Official Collateral Event of Biennale Arte 2019
Ca’ Faccanon, Venice, Italy
Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami

 

As the lead designer for AfriCOBRA: Nation Time, I developed the exhibition’s visual identity and on-site graphics for its presentation at Biennale Arte 2019—marking the first major showing of AfriCOBRA’s work in Europe. The exhibition was curated by Jeffreen M. Hayes, Ph.D., and presented by bardoLA, with support from MOCA North Miami, the City of North Miami, the Knight Foundation, and Kavi Gupta Gallery.

 

I was tasked with creating a new logo for the Venice presentation—distinct from the original branding of AfriCOBRA: Messages to the People (Art Basel Miami, 2018), but consistent enough to communicate visual continuity between the two shows. The result was a refreshed logo that honored the collective’s legacy and resonated with both European audiences and the artists themselves.

 

I also designed the exhibition’s wall text, gallery signage, and collateral, ensuring cultural accuracy, legibility, and visual impact within a historic Venetian Gothic palazzo setting. The work balanced bold, Afrocentric design motifs with the elegance of the Biennale’s environment.

 

“The fullness of Blackness is important in our global culture, and AFRICOBRA addresses and connects the Diaspora in their art.”
— Jeffreen M. Hayes, Ph.D.

 

Curator: Jeffreen M. Hayes, Ph.D.
Installation photography courtesy of MOCA North Miami
On view: May 11 – November 24, 2019