It is that time again when I pick back up what I tend to put down.
Where did we leave off? I think my last post was in 2023. We are now in 2026.
The past few years have truly been filled with changes that have pushed me to pivot in new directions. In 2023, after a sabbatical year in Kinshasa, I returned to one of my favourite cities, London. I began working more actively in the world of the Arts with a foundation promoting Congolese artists.
During my time in Kinshasa, I had the great joy of assisting with the coordination of an exhibition at the National Museum of the D.R. Congo. It was an experience that opened a door into an industry I had always admired but never quite imagined myself working in. It felt like a quiet turning point, and it is one of the reasons I wanted to restart writing here.
My love for art goes back to childhood. I always felt like an artist at heart. The name I use online, ‘Yvaliks’, a shortened version of my full name, was the artist name I came up with as a teenager. The signature I used on my drawings is now the logo for this very site.
Art is one of the greatest tools of human communication. Artists do not only mirror the world they see: they also give shape to the worlds they imagine. When I look at a piece of art, I bring my own interpretation to it, as most people do. But I also bring my own eyes. I am a woman. I am a Black woman. I am an African woman. Each of these layers shapes how I experience the world around me.
Consequently, I am more curious about how women who look like me see and represent the world through their art. So last year, I began searching for exhibitions by Black female artists and quickly noticed that a simple search on well-known art platforms did not necessarily give me what I was looking for, or that the content was often minimal. I was actually looking for a centralised platform or website where I could find a listing of shows by black women artists only. I could not find one. So I decided to start one.
I called it Her Exhibitions.
Her Exhibitions is my new little project. It is a curated calendar highlighting exhibitions by Black women artists in the visual arts. It will initially live as a dedicated page on this website and as an Instagram account. I am adding current shows running across Europe, the United States, and Africa, featuring both established names and emerging voices. It is a big challenge, but one I am genuinely excited to take on.
I am still a newcomer to this space, transitioning from enthusiast to participant, but as I continue to look and to learn, I hope to build something that adds real value.
This is a work in progress, but so am I, and I am committed to both.