Join the Art Galleries at Black Studies at the reception for Lingua Franca on Thursday, September 26th. Hear from the curator and see the exhibition with great company and food!

Lingua Franca: Black Spirit Speaks in Common Tongues

From Haitian Voudou flags to surrealist prints and paintings, Lingua Franca outlines how traces of African spiritual cultural retention can be seen in artwork across the Black diaspora. The 17 works of art on display exemplify how each artist explores themes of ancestral connection and mysticism, emphasizing their shared history despite differences in geography. Practices such as Voudou and Obeah act as a lingua franca – or common language—serving as a conduit to discuss themes of the divine, daily-life, colonialism and histories of the Black Atlantic.