Graphic by Dasean Burnette

Cassilhaus and curators N'gamet Keïta and Nori McDuffie are excited to welcome you to the exhibition From Mali to Raleigh.

This photographic exhibition features the works of Malian artist Malick Sidibé (1936-2016) and Triangle-based American artist Cornell Watson (b. 1985). It invites you to explore and experience 1960s Bamako and modern-day North Carolina while capturing the enduring spirit of everyday Black life across the Black diaspora from the past to the present.

Sidibé and Watson engage with themes of youth, culture, tradition, familial and romantic relationships, dignity, and moments of joy. Their brilliant portrayals depict how these themes intertwine through space and time—from coast to coast, from generation to generation.

The artists remind us how essential and generative it is to bear witness to the life, beauty, love, celebration, and dancing around us and how imperative it is to document and archive it. With full hearts, we deeply treasure Malick Sidibé and Cornell Watson for illuminating the pathway for such exploration. 

With pleasure, welcome to From Mali to Raleigh.

The Gallery Guide for the exhibition can be downloaded here.

Please check back to this page for future programs to be announced during the run of the exhibition. Group tours may be arranged by contacting Frank Konhaus at frank@cassilhaus.com