Joana Choumali: Languages of West African Marketplaces
"Joana Choumali: Languages of West African Marketplaces" explores the complex economy of secondhand T-shirts through the vibrant mixed-media photographs of Ivorian artist Joana Choumali. The exhibition features 12 life-size, hand-quilted and embroidered portraits of laborers in the marketplaces of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, where secondhand clothing from the U.S. and Europe plays a key economic role. Choumali’s series "Yougou-Yougou" highlights the cultural dissonance between bold English-language slogans on T-shirts and the lives of the individuals wearing them. The portraits, accompanied by the artist’s notes, reveal the diversity of languages and economies in regional marketplaces. This exhibition will be on view from January 25 to May 11. For more information please visit Harvard Art Museums' website.