Important Dates

Opening of the exhibition

"Who is Lucy!?!"

by Dr Epifania Amoo-Adare and Ann-Marie Ellmann van Rhyn

currently artists in residence at the Bayreuth Academy of Advanced African Studies

• Wed July 23, 2025 at 4:30 pm

Venue: Exhibition space on the ground floor of the FZA building; University of Bayreuth

The exhibition is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until the end of August at the exhibition room at the FZA building on campus.

"Who is Lucy!?! African Wo|Mxn Native|Other  " is a collaborative, decolonial feminist art project that explores the complexities of identity, race, and belonging through the lens of African heritage. Co-created by Cluster fellows Dr Epifania Amoo-Adare and Ann-Marie Ellmann, the project aims to disrupt traditional notions of art and knowledge creation, positioning them as relational, collective processes rather than individual, solitary acts. The work is structured around a series of interventions, including the curation of autobiographical found objects - artworks, letters, photographs - and the collection of diverse opinions through cognitive mapping exercises, where participants are asked, “Who is African?”

The project evolves into an immersive, sensory art installation that engages all five senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. Participants move through the installation, interacting with audiovisual projections, fabrics, culinary offerings, and sensory elements to question their own understanding of African identity. By invoking these multisensory experiences, the installation dismantles binary thinking and explores the intersections of race, gender, and colonial histories.

Through this participatory process, the project examines the shifting definitions of "African" and "woman" within the colonial matrix of power, reflecting on both historical and contemporary interpretations. Ultimately, "Who is Lucy!?!" seeks to provide a platform for dialogue, challenging stereotypes and offering a space for collective (un)learning, with the aim of decolonizing how art, identity, and knowledge are conceived. This is a radical exploration of Africa’s multiplicity, contradictions, and its role in globalizing histories and futures.