Meet the First African American Woman Representing Her Country at the Globe’s Most Important Art Exhibition

For the 59th edition of the art world’s most prestigious exhibition, the Venice Biennale, the United States will be represented by sculptor Simone Leigh, the first African American woman to hold this prestigious position.

“I feel like I’m a part of a larger group of artists and thinkers who have reached critical mass,” says Leigh whose work explores notions of beauty, strength, colonialism and black womanhood. “And despite the really horrific climate that we’ve reached, it still doesn’t distract me from the fact of how amazing it is to be a Black artist right now.”

Given the current political and social situation, there is “no better artist” than Leigh to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale in 2022: “What we’re seeing right now is an unbelievable explosion in the presentation of work of African American and diasporic intellectuals, creative, artists, writers, and thinkers,” says Jill Medvedow, director of the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston. “It is overdue, really exciting, and critically important, and Simone is part of this flourishing.”