Goya Lopes: The African Diaspora in Brazil

Exhibition Dates: January 25 - February 29, 2008

As part of Columbia College Chicago's annual African Heritage Celebration, Columbia's [C]Spaces and Liberal Education department present the exhibition Goya Lopes: The African Diaspora in Brazil. Goya Lopes uses textile design as the primary medium to create the story of the various African cultures and experiences transported to Brazil during the period of the slave trade. With the use of large swaths of hand-stamped cloth, Lopes will present a visual timeline beginning with the first enslaved Africans brought to Brazil and concluding with today's diverse and flourishing Diaspora.

The African diaspora is global, yet each country's experience has been distinct. Artists have played a vital role in preserving and passing down the history from generation to generation. In Bahia, Brazil, Goya Lopes is one such artist.

Goya Lopes: The African Diaspora in Brazil is part of Columbia College's ongoing, institution-wide initiative, Critical Encounters. This year's Critical Encounters focus is Poverty and Privilege. The College has chosen this focus as a way of questioning the complex myths and realities that arise out of our cultural and social beliefs about those who have and those who have not.