WE WERE HERE
The untold story of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe
Unveiling Black Presence in Renaissance Art | La Biennale Venezia 2024
​We Were Here” highlights the erasures of history that feed nationalist politics today by recovering the presence of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe -- Ocula Magazine
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Journeying through different European countries, Kuwornu retraces stories showing that African contribution was much deeper than what history has acknowledged -- Art Africa Magazine
Reframe Renaissance History
Through Black Presence
Experience our groundbreaking film at the heart of the 60th International Art Exhibition la Biennale Venezia. On view exclusively at the Central Pavilion curated by Adriano Pedrosa until November 24th, 2024.
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“In Florence, Alessandro De' Medici, the first Duke of the De' Medici's family was almost certainly theson of an African woman, probably a servant. He was an illegitimate child”
DR. JOHN BRACKETT -- Professor of Art History at the University of Cincinnati
"We Were Here" unveils the untold history of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe through iconic artworks. This multilingual film, shot across Europe, challenges the notion that all Blacks were slaves or servants. It reveals a diverse presence including princes, ambassadors, merchants, and religious figures. Narrated from an Afro-European perspective, it explores stories absent from traditional history books. The film interweaves art history with social narratives, offering a fresh lens on European Renaissance and the complex tapestry of Black presence often overlooked in conventional historical accounts
“They served in the Royal courts.They were priests. They were soldiers. We have a number of documented examples of African presence in European cities”
DR. KATE LOWE -- Professor of Renaissance History at Queen Mary University of London
“These relationships are fundamental to understand what society we are today.
Renaissance art doesn't just reflect the world, but it helps create the world...
The way Black figures appear today in movies, in advertisement, in society,
can be traced right back to the Renaissance”
DR. PAUL KAPLAN -- Professor of Art History at Purchase College
