Kente Souls (Slave Ship): Seyram Agbleze Brings History and Culture Together in New Work Reimagining Kente

A new large-scale Kente artwork by Ghanaian multidisciplinary artist Seyram Agbleze converges history and culture in a powerful commemoration of transatlantic slavery. This monumental artwork titled Kente Souls (Slave Ship) was supported by the Love for Humanity Initiative and created in collaboration with traditional Kente weavers.

The woven human figures represent enslaved victims of the transatlantic slave trade, while the background evokes the 'slave ships' that carried them on their inhumane journey. The use of Kente in this work is symbolic, highlighting Africa's rich cultural heritage/societies and the skills enslaved people took to the Americas. This impressive work serves as a poignant reminder of humanity's darkest periods, emphasizing the importance of learning from the past.

The human figure motif in the artwork references the artist's earlier work, Sankofa Reflections (2023). Created during his residency as the inaugural recipient of the MIASA Art Fellowship from the Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa; supported by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research.

Agbleze's latest work stresses remembering the past to avoid repeating it. Millions of African lives were lost to the transatlantic slave trade, and its devastating impacts continue to linger to this day.