AN EVENING OF AFROSURREALISM
with Antawan I. Byrd, Grace Ndiritu and Third Culture Kids
Date: Friday 29 August 2025
Time: 6pm–7pm
Location: In the Auditorium, Foyer and the exhibition “The Underground Sky”
Language: English
Registration information: Free admission from 6pm.
The program starts at 7pm. The entire evening is free of charge. Only Grace Ndiritu’s performance requires advance registration, as the number of seats is limited.
Afrosurrealism is a literary and artistic movement that moves across areas such as visual arts, photography, film, sound, performance, music and fashion. It draws inspiration from the broader surrealist movement that emerged in Europe after the First World War, with the goal of penetrating the subconscious and challenging artistic conventions and social norms. Afrosurrealism is focused on the contemporary “here and now,” and uses ideas, themes, and techniques from surrealism to reflect the experiences of the African diaspora in the Western world. The movement is a tool for reformulating traditional artistic expressions and putting black voices at the center. It explores, among other things, the invisible world over the visible, and how both surroundings and individuals can evoke surreal experiences.
PROGRAM
18:00: The whole museum is open.
19:00: Lecture “Pan-Africanism and the Uncanny Politics of Being Seen Listening about how sound technologies convey Black political life and artistic expression in Africa and the African diaspora, by Antawan I Byrd, PhD, Assistant Professor of Art History at Northwestern University in Chicago and Associate Curator of Photography and Media at the Art Institute of Chicago. In the Auditorium, floor 2. Free admission.
20:00: Premiere of “The Inner Sky”, a new performance work by the artist Grace Ndiritu, created for Moderna Museet. The work is a guided meditation where Grace Ndiritu leads participants on an inner journey, inspired by 1930s dream sessions and Mike Kelley’s ideas about the uncanny. With the help of spiritual techniques of lucid dreaming, the audience will seek contact with their inner sky.
Bring a picture or a book that represents your favorite painting. It will be placed under your head during the meditation. You are also welcome to bring a yoga mat to lie on, or a blanket or meditation cushion.
Free of charge, but registration is required.