Artist Roundtable on ‘Pride and Belonging in African Art

2 days ago
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Artist Paul Emmanuel will participate in the upcoming online roundtable “Inventive Leaps, Unruly Voyages: Pride and Belonging in African Art.” Hosted by American University and convened by anthropologist Mark Auslander and artist Abdi Osman, the discussion brings together artists and curators connected to the exhibition Here: Pride and Belonging in African Art, currently on view at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C.

Suspended parachute harness framed by an open parachute canopy in Paul Emmanuel’s installation Untethered / Retethered at the Smithsonian. — *Untethered/Retethered*, 2025, *(تائه في العدم/مستعيد جذوره)* (detail) Decommissioned, model T-10, U.S. military personnel parachute with severed suspension lines, detached harness with risers, 550 para-cord. High-definition video projection, stereo soundtrack, 7 min 26 sec. Parachute diameter: 35 feet. Harness dimensions: 30 x 30 inches (excluding suspension lines). Photographed by Russell Smith.

Pride and Belonging in African Art Roundtable

During the roundtable, Emmanuel will speak about his installation Untethered / Retethered. The work features a suspended parachute harness positioned within the opening of a parachute canopy, creating the appearance of a figure standing within a threshold or portal. Through this sculptural arrangement and recorded dialogues with soldiers and veterans, the installation reflects on the complex process of untethering from military identity and retethering within civilian life.

Parachute harness lying on the floor beside a draped parachute during the MICA installation of Paul Emmanuel’s Untethered — Installation view of ‘Untethered’ (2024) in the main court at Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD, USA.

The roundtable explores questions of belonging, identity, and queer creativity within African and African diasporic artistic contexts. Emmanuel’s work engages these themes through the metaphor of suspension and transition, examining how individuals move between different systems of belonging.

Inventive Leaps, Unruly Voyages: Pride and Belonging in African Art

Online Roundtable hosted by American University

Friday, March 27, 202612:00–3:00 PM (Eastern Time)

Further information and access details can be found here: https://markauslander.com/2026/02/26/inventive-leaps-unruly-voyages-a-roundtable-on-here-pride-and-belonging-in-african-art/