25/08/2026
Tarek Lakhrissi is part of the exhibition ‘Here: Pride and Belonging in African Art’ National Museum of African Art in Washington DC, US. Curated by Kevin D. Dumouchelle and Serubiri Moses. Closing 30 August 2026.
We are here.
Artists’ voices are central to this exhibition, which is based on years of close collaboration and dialogue with African visual art practitioners who claim belonging in the LGBTQ+ community, however they define those terms. They are united by a simple, shared declaration: We are here and always have been and will be.
The exhibition is part of a larger research initiative, the Here Project, that seeks to document these voices. The artists in the Project practice across the entirety of the African continent and its global diaspora, using their work to speak their truths. Inviting us into their worlds, they share complex stories of openly claiming their identities, their histories, and their place. While their experiences are unique to them, they address issues that unite us all: the importance of family, of spirit, of standing up for oneself and others, of imagining the future, of making intimate connections, of finding belonging, of embracing potential, and above all, of experiencing joy.
Here is based on years of close collaboration and dialogue with these artists and their communities. Through their art, they invite us into their worlds, and share complex stories of openly claiming their identities, their histories, and their place. Here is in the largest exhibition on this subject to date, with nearly 60 artworks, demonstrating how they are a part of a larger story of African art history.
They are here. All that is left is for us to hear them.
طارق الأخرسي
Kevin D. Dumouchelle
