The Kingdom of this World, Reimagined

A black man with a crutch standing outdoors on a path lined with brush plants. On his head is a hat mounted with a ship. In the background, a fortress juts into a blue sky

September 12, 2023 – March 24, 2024

This exhibition presents a selection of contemporary work inspired by Alejo Carpentier’s mytho-historical book, The Kingdom of this World (originally published in 1949), which recounts the Haitian Revolution and its profound impact on the emergent nation. Originally presented in Little Haiti, Miami, on the occasion of the book’s seventieth anniversary, an international cohort of artists, each with ties to the Caribbean, responds to Carpentier’s innovative retelling of the extraordinary, true events of Black liberation, struggle, and spirituality in colonialism’s wake.

This exhibition was curated by Lesley A. Wolff, Assistant Professor, Art & Design, University of Tampa. This exhibition will be staged across two venues: the University Art Gallery (UAG) at Pitt and the Carlow University Art Gallery.

Co-presented by the Department of the History of Art & Architecture and Carlow University Art Gallery with generous support from University of Pittsburgh’s University Center for International Studies (UCIS). Special thanks to the Arts, Equity, & Education Fund™ for providing additional sponsorship for this exhibition.

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