The Clearing

Curated by Ekow Eshun for space Un, “The Clearing” explores themes of kinship, connection, and collective memory in paintings by contemporary artists from the African diaspora. Inspired by a scene in Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved (1987) in which Black townsfolk gather in a forest clearing to love and care for one another beyond the gaze of a hostile world, the exhibition considers communal gathering as an act of resistance, restoration, and creation.

Rather than centering spectacle or resistance alone, “The Clearing” invites viewers to witness Black subjectivity as expansive and sovereign, as capable of dreaming, becoming, and remaking the world. In this sanctuary of care and quiet power, the unseen becomes visible, and Black life is honored in its full emotional and spiritual complexity. Amiri Baraka once wrote “Let the world be a Black poem”—and in “The Clearing,” it is.

VENUE: space Un (KLO Minami-Aoyama, Bldg. 1F, 2-4-9 Minamiaoyama, Minatoku, Tokyo)
HOURS: 12:00 p.m.– 7:00 p.m. (Admissions close 15 minutes prior to closing time)
CONTACT: contact@spaceun.tokyo