René Tavares

"René Tavares’ practice investigates the ways identity is shaped and reshaped through history, migration, and visual culture. By overlaying archival photographs with expressive painterly gestures, he creates a visual dialogue between past and present — between imposed narratives and reclaimed authorship.

His works are acts of interruption and reinvention: faces partially obscured, erased, or re-inked, as if memory were being edited in real time. Through the repetition of strokes, textures, and symbols, Tavares challenges the authority of the colonial gaze and makes space for new readings of African presence.

For Tavares, art becomes a territory where belonging is never fixed, but continuously negotiated — a visual map of multiplicity, resistance, and transformation."

MEET

René Tavares

René Tavares (b. 1983, São Tomé and Príncipe) is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores themes of memory, identity, postcolonial legacy, and cultural hybridity. After studying at the École des Beaux-Arts in Rennes (France) and completing further research at the School of Visual Arts in Dakar, Tavares developed a distinctive visual language that combines painting, photography, drawing, and collage.

His work is marked by an engagement with both personal and collective histories, often revisiting colonial archives, agricultural imagery, and portraiture to explore the layered realities of African and Afro-diasporic experience. He lives and works between São Tomé and Lisbon and has exhibited widely across Africa, Europe, and Latin America.

FROM OUR BLOGUE

Rethinking a Colonial Legacy: Dr El Hadji Malick Ndiaye’s Mission to Decolonise Dakar’s Museum

At the heart of Dakar, a quiet but radical transformation is underway. Dr El Hadji Malick Ndiaye, curator of the Théodore Monod Museum of African Art, is leading a profound effort to decolonise an institution built for colonisers. Through critical reinterpretation, artistic collaboration, and cultural activism, he is reframing the museum not as a place of frozen pasts, but as a living, breathing space of African knowledge, pride, and imagination.

Forbes África Lusófona Highlights Afrikanizm’s Model for Building the African Art Economy

In an op-ed for Forbes África Lusófona, João Boavida, founder of Afrikanizm Art, lays out a bold new vision for African art. He argues that the future lies not in charity, but in structure, visibility, and fair opportunity. Through a model grounded in equity, mentorship, and sustainable growth, Afrikanizm Art is helping transform African artists from overlooked talents into central players in the global market.

Black Spaces of the Great Depression South at MoA+L

Crafting Sanctuaries spotlights rarely seen FSA photos of Black Southern life during the Great Depression—homes, churches, barbershops become sanctuaries.

Getty Foundation Invests $2.6M in Unearthing Black Art History

The Getty Foundation has awarded $2.6 million to expand its Black Visual Arts Archives initiative, empowering 12 U.S. institutions—libraries, museums, and universities—to catalogue, digitise, and bring Black art histories into public view. This multi-year commitment spotlights previously overlooked collections, transforming archives into dynamic cultural touchpoints and promoting long-overdue visibility for Black artists and institutions.

“Dear Black People… A Love Letter”: Diasporic Time-travel in Atlanta

Now open at ZuCot Gallery, Dear Black People… A Love Letter is a bold and poetic journey through the Black American experience. With over 95% of works by artists of African descent, the show reframes visual storytelling as time travel — blending memory, identity and joy.
From glowing watermelons to shimmering histories, this exhibition pulses with creativity, community and cultural pride.

How Black Art Defined the Essence Festival’s Identity

How Black Art Defined the Essence Festival’s Identity

Discover how Black art has shaped the Essence Festival’s visual history—turning every poster into a living archive since 1995.

Guardians of Culture: Alicia Keys & Swizz Beatz Champion African and Diasporic Art

Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz have built a world-class collection focused on African and Black diasporic artists, supporting both established and emerging creators. Through exhibitions, acquisitions, philanthropy, and cultural dialogue, they elevate representation, empower artists, and enrich global appreciation of African artistic heritage.

Rooted in Africa: Ciara, Ludacris & Idris Elba Reclaim Their Heritage

Ciara, Ludacris, and Idris Elba are among a growing wave of global artists reconnecting with their African roots. Through official citizenships and cultural investments, they are not only reclaiming identity but also reshaping narratives, strengthening ties between the diaspora and the continent, and amplifying the cultural value of belonging.

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