Exploring Afro-European Identities at Les Rencontres d’Arles 2024

In 2024 Institute Contemporary presented its inaugural exhibition, "On the Vastness of our Identities", at Les Rencontres d’Arles, featuring diverse perspectives on Afro-European identities through photography. Here you can find some impressions from the exhibition.

February 6, 2025

Ein Kind mit einem kleinen Oktopus auf dem Kopf steht im Wasser und blickt nach rechts

© Osma Harvilahti

“In a world that is challenged on a daily basis and in all possible ways the focus of Institute Contemporary lays on dealing with entrenched structures, such as post-colonial systems, discriminations and related everyday experiences.”
Institute Contemporary

Founded by Allianz Foundation Fellow Verdiana Albano, Institute Contemporary aims to create a network and support system for artists with Afro-European identities. The initiative highlights the systemic barriers these artists encounter in their production and presentation processes.

Institute Contemporary, founded in 2023, aims to offer exhibitions, seminars, readings, and talks to promote the visibility of Afro-European perspectives. As part of this mission, the organization curated its first exhibition at Les Rencontres d’Arles 2024 in Arles, France, showcasing the work of five artists under the title of “On the Vastness of our Identities.”

Alongside the works of photographer and sculptor Verdiana Albano, the exhibition featured emerging artists from various media disciplines: Delal Ayivi, a fashion photographer and co-founder of Togo Yeye, supporting and representing Togolese artists; Ange-Frédéric Koffi, whose work focuses on the complex articulation of movement; writer and YouTuber Monika Ribeiro, bridging cultural differences and exploring the nuanced complexity of identity; and MAryam Touzani, delving into intercultural identity and the desire to belong.

“If I had to choose a single thing that has developed even further in me in connection with living with different cultures, it would be the ability to be able to move within cultures and locations with relative ease.”
Monika Ribeiro

“On the Vastness of our Identities” revealed the differences and similarities between the exhibited artists through their unique lenses and thoughts. While the exhibition offerd a diverse range of photographic genres, it emphasised how existing narratives can be changed and how their own redefined identity can find a place in global society.

Two persons are sitting on the ground and leaning on a wall

Installation in Arles 2024 © Verdiana Albano

Installation in Arles 2024 © Verdiana Albano

A hand holding a substance with a dental impression on it

Installation in Arles 2024 © Verdiana Albano

Installation in Arles 2024 © Verdiana Albano

Installation in Arles 2024 © Verdiana Albano

Installation in Arles 2024 © Verdiana Albano

Installation in Arles 2024 © Verdiana Albano

Installation in Arles 2024 © Verdiana Albano

Verdiana Albano with guests during the exhibition of the Institute Contemporary in Arles 2024 © Ipec Cinar

Installation in Arles 2024 © Verdiana Albano

Installation in Arles 2024 © Verdiana Albano