On a quiet street in central Kyiv, where monuments are wrapped in sandbags and shrapnel shields, the Khanenko Museum has opened an exhibition about Africa. Its title, Africa Direct, is a statement and a method: a call to approach the continent not through inherited filters (Soviet, colonial, or western) but through direct engagement with its histories, philosophies and living cultures.
The Kings and Queens of Africa exhibition showcases Sub-Saharan African art's diverse representation through over 300 objects and acknowledges the complex histories of these artifacts.