Here is an exhibition years in the making. More than 30 visual artists part of the LGBTQ+ community have contributed to this deep and varied show. The two main themes for the exhibitions are identity and belonging.
What stood out to me the most was how tightly identity was bonded with community in the artwork. Family bonds, work bonds, friendship bonds, national bonds, and bonds with others in the queer community. That association showed through so strongly, it really drove the show for me and made turning the next corner to see what was next compelling. In what new ways can an artist convey a message?
Inside jokes, shared traditions, a simple social event, the creation of the artwork itself; all these instances are documented in a way that really comes through in the show. The act of creating art of course can help form and sustain community and this is also evident in Here. In this exhibition, even a camcorder video documentation of a small wedding is, in and of itself commentary and art. Here is a window into both the individual artists and the wider queer community across the Africa continent (and diaspora). A truly connective show, considering the vast and differential mediums represented.
About half the countries on the African continent criminalize LGBTQ+ people to some extent. This show also exists in that context. Here also took inspiration from two similar shows from the past “The Progress of Love” a 2012 exhibition in Lagos as well as “Precarious Imaging: Visibility Surrounding African Queerness” a 2014 exhibition in Dakar.
Originally slated to open during World Pride in DC summer 2025, the Here eventually opened in January. The show will close August 23, 2026, which was the original close date. The Smithsonian National Museum of African art is located on the National Mall adjacent to the Smithsonian Castle. 950 Independence Avenue SW.
