Launch
6-8pm 1 July
Running
2 July-27 August
The Library Project
4 Temple Bar Street
D02YK53
Opening Hours
Mon-Fri 11am-6pm
Sat-Sun 12-6pm
Free Event
And you, why are you black?
Rubén H. Bermúdez
And You, Why Are You Black? is an open, personal and collective archive of the construction of Blackness as a political force in Spain. The project comes to life from a process of decolonisation, unpacking the racism behind the question that everyone the artist meets asks: “If you were born in Spain, why are you black?”.
Starting from an investigation into the origins of Spanish black slavery, Rubén Bermúdez reconstructs an autobiographical narrative that serves as a political essay on the history of African culture in the West. Taking inspiration from his memory of the images, conversations and symbols that have marked his life, the artist recalls some of the everyday and out-of-the-ordinary events as seen from a Black perspective.
(Text: Manuel Segade, Director, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid)
A book launch will accompany the exhibition, to celebrate a new edition of Bermúdez’s photobook, now expanded into three languages: English, Spanish, and French.
The exhibition is additionally supported by Acción Cultural Española and Instituto Cervantes Dublin.
Born in Madrid in 1981, the visual artist Rubén H. Bermúdez is the author of the book And You, Why Are You Black? His work has been exhibited at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid as well as at the African Photography Encounters of Bamako. In 2021, he premiered his first feature film: We all like plantain. Rubén H.Bermúdez also co-founded the AfroConciencia collective.
