The cultural association BHMF and The Recovery Plan announce the ninth edition of Black History Month Florence with a program that envelopes the city from February 1 to 29 in collaboration with a range of partnering venues and institutions across a broad spectrum of the cultural sector.
This edition is framed with the theme of Whole Rest, which is an invitation and a critique. Whole Rest is an invitation towards repose and the repositioning needed to recalibrate as a response to exhaustion and to collectively find rest in recreation and sharing. Whole Rest is also a reaction to the weariness that comes with dealing with cultural insensitivities, where marginalized communities are often required to defend their existence, while their cultural products are extracted and exploited for knowledge, profit and power. This ongoing cultural tension is a cause for a full stop or, in musical notation, a whole rest.
This edition of Black History Month Florence offers a variety of cultural events, including the exhibition Le Code Noir: Atelier – 2023 – 2024 Roma that opens on February 21 at The Recovery Plan, the center hosted by Santa Reparata International School of Art – SRISA, featuring the research of Hamedine Kane, currently a fellow at the Villa Medici in Rome. His work focuses on the African diaspora and its history of writing and publication, especially in relation to Pan-Africanism. Murate Art District (MAD) will open the group exhibition Repose and Resist curated by BHMF on February 15, marking the eighth consecutive year of collaboration with the institution. The exhibition is expanded through an intimate retreat with the Repose as Resistance Collective, a group of cultural practitioners connected to eight European countries.
Another group exhibition will be presented at Villa Romana on February 16 featuring Lerato Shadi, Leo Asemota and Helena Uambembe. BHMF’s ninth edition features the return of YGBI Research Residency, a platform dedicated to the cultivation, collectivity and support of young Italian artists of African descent. Now in its fifth edition, this edition of the residency features Leila Bencharnia, Brianda Carreras, Omar Gabriel Delnevo and Soukaina Abrour under the mentorship of Mawena Yehouessi and is supported by Soul of Nations Foundation and The Social Hub. This residency is extended through performances and events by the artists in dialogue with internationally acclaimed performers at CANGO on February 17, at Prato’s Centro per l’Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci on February 23 and The Social Hub on February 24. With events in English and Italian, children’s workshops and more, there is something for everyone. Parallel Black History Month initiatives in Bologna, Turin and Milan offer opportunities to connect with the broader Afro-descendant communities in Italy and reflect upon the historical relationship between Italy and the African continent, which dates back to ancient times.
The program of Black History Month Florence is a moment of collective cultural care carried out through broad forms of collaboration and connection with a range of cultural institutions across Florence and beyond. This year, BHMF continues its longstanding collaboration with New York University Florence, the European University Institute and many others through talks and presentations. The Recovery Plan and the Associazione Culturale BHMF develop, support, cross-promote and curate various elements of this program.
