Tola Wewe, The golden renaissance, 2025, 86,4 x 61 cm
ARTNOVATION
Echoes of renaissance in the hues of Africa
from 17 to 29 September 2026
Fondazione Luciana Matalon, Milan
free admission
opening: Tuesday 16 September, 5.00 pm
From 16–29 September 2026, Fondazione Luciana Matalon presents ARTNOVATION: Echoes of Renaissance in the Hues of Africa, a landmark Africa–Europe Creative Economy dialogue and exhibition that explores the transformative power of art, fashion, culture, and innovation as instruments of cultural exchange and international collaboration. Conceived and curated by Foluke Michael, the exhibition brings together renowned Nigerian master artists Chief Dr. Nike Davies-Okundaye and Chief Tola Wewe, alongside emerging artist Princess Marinay.
Extending beyond the gallery, Artnovation Fashion, in collaboration with Sixth Season, translates the exhibition’s visual language into wearable art, creating a dialogue between fine art, craftsmanship, and contemporary design.
The exhibition unfolds through four interconnected narratives—Afro-Italian Renaissance, The Rock That Remembers, The Thread of Continents, and The Art of Fashion—linking African artistic traditions with the enduring legacy of the Renaissance. Across painting, mixed media, textile installations, and fashion, the works explore memory, migration, identity, resilience, spirituality, and cultural exchange, presenting creativity as a bridge between generations, disciplines, and continents.
A central highlight, The Legacy of Wole Soyinka in the Eyes of Michelangelo, curated by Foluke Michael and painted by Chief Tola Wewe in Florence, imagines a dialogue between the intellectual legacy of Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka and the enduring spirit of the Italian Renaissance. Through African philosophical thought and contemporary visual language, the series reflects on memory, human dignity, and shared cultural futures.
More than an exhibition, ARTNOVATION proposes creativity as a catalyst for dialogue, diplomacy, innovation, and lasting partnerships, inviting audiences to imagine a future shaped through collaboration rather than boundaries.
info & contacts:
Fondazione Luciana Matalon
+39 02 878781
opening hours:
10:00 – 13:00 | 14:00 – 19:00
from tuesday to saturday
free admission
