"Nigerian American photographer Mikael Owunna's life-size, shimmering images of ancient deities in outer space set the tone for "UNBOUND: Art, Blackness and the Universe," MoAD's stellar exploration of the African diaspora in the eternal and the infinite. "UNBOUND," which runs through Aug. 16, 2026, is MoAD curatorial chief Key Jo Lee's most ambitious exhibition to date. Over three floors, she presents an African diaspora that is "unbound" from earthly and chronological conceptions of diaspora."
""I think that Afrofuturism as a category has been a super useful tool, but it's insufficient, because I already know we're going to be in the future," Lee says. "I was interested in artists and artworks that were like, 'Well, I already know that. This Blackness is material for me, and how do I manipulate that and show different versions of that?'""
UNBOUND: Art, Blackness and the Universe runs through Aug. 16, 2026 at MoAD and centers life-size, shimmering photographs by Nigerian American photographer Mikael Owunna. The three-floor exhibition frames the African diaspora as 'unbound' from earthly and chronological conceptions, pairing historical, philosophical and astrophysical perspectives. Curatorial chief Key Jo Lee developed the exhibition after conversations with theoretical physicists and artists, highlighting shared curiosity about astrophysics and cosmology. The show intentionally minimizes the term 'Afrofuture', treating Black presence in the future as given and exploring Blackness as material to be manipulated and reimagined across time and space.
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