THE CAAC EXPLORES “AMEFRICAN” CONNECTIONS THROUGH THE JORGE M. PÉREZ COLLECTION

The Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo (CAAC) in Seville presents AMÉFRICA, a group exhibition co-produced with El Espacio 23 in Miami and featuring works from the Jorge M. Pérez collection, around which Helio Menezes’ curatorial discourse is structured, addressing the cultural, historical, and symbolic connections that traverse the Atlantic.

Through an extensive selection of American and African artists, the exhibition proposes a dialogue between deeply intertwined geographies, highlighting the often invisible points of connection between them. For this purpose, shared aesthetic qualities are key, as well as the role of ancestral and generational transmissions, along with shared and inherited influences.

The exhibition is grounded in the concept of “amefricanity,” developed by Afro-Brazilian thinker Lélia Gonzalez, which proposes a rereading of the cultural formation of the Americas from their African origins. Her approach not only suggests a redefinition of the continent’s name, but also advocates for the creation of a relational cartography in which identity, belonging, and creation emerge from an Africa-centered perspective. This stance, in clear opposition to hegemonic discourses and traditional views dominated by Eurocentrism, serves as the foundation of the exhibition.

The exhibition highlights, through the works of artists from both sides of the Atlantic, how Africa has long been a cultural, artistic, religious, and social mirror in the Americas over centuries. These influences have been significant in fields such as music, spirituality, and gastronomy, and the exhibition challenges concepts such as mestizaje and syncretism, emphasizing processes of adaptation, resistance, and creation as forces that shape new forms of expression.

AMÉFRICA can be seen until January 10, 2027, at the Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo (CAAC), Cartuja de Santa María de las Cuevas, Américo Vespucio 2, Seville (Spain).