At the Barbican Centre, London's landmark exhibition Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica explores the profound impact of Pan-African thought on artistic and cultural production across the twentieth century and into the present day. Bringing together more than 300 works from Africa, the Caribbean, Brazil, North America and Western Europe, the exhibition examines the role artists have played in shaping visions of solidarity, liberation and cultural exchange across the African continent and its global diasporas.
Among the artists featured is Mohamed Melehi, whose painting Composition (1976) offers a compelling example of the transnational dialogues that define both his practice and the exhibition's broader themes.
A pioneering figure of Moroccan modernism, Melehi emerged as part of a generation of artists who sought to redefine artistic expression in the decades following independence. As a leading member of the Casablanca Art School, he challenged inherited colonial frameworks and advocated for a modern visual language rooted in local cultural traditions while remaining engaged with international artistic developments.
Created in 1976, Composition belongs to a significant period in Melehi's career, during which his iconic wave motif had become central to his practice. Characterised by flowing bands of colour and rhythmic geometric forms, the motif became a vehicle through which the artist explored movement, energy, connectivity and transformation. While formally abstract, Melehi's paintings often evoke broader cultural and geographical associations, drawing inspiration from Morocco's landscapes, architecture and visual heritage.
Throughout his career, Melehi viewed abstraction not as a retreat from social realities but as an active means of imagining new cultural futures. His work reflected a belief in the capacity of art to transcend borders and foster dialogue between communities, ideas and histories. This outlook resonates strongly with the principles of Pan-Africanism explored throughout Project a Black Planet, which highlights the networks of exchange that connected artists, intellectuals and activists across continents.
The inclusion of Composition within the exhibition situates Melehi's work within a wider constellation of artistic practices shaped by questions of identity, self-determination and cultural renewal. While his work emerged from the specific context of post-independence Morocco, it also speaks to broader conversations taking place across Africa and its diasporas during the twentieth century, where artists sought new visual languages capable of expressing collective aspirations and challenging dominant narratives.
By bringing together works from diverse geographies and generations, Project a Black Planet underscores the complexity and richness of Pan-African cultural histories. Within this context, Melehi's Composition stands as a powerful example of an artist who forged connections between local traditions and global modernism, contributing to a broader reimagining of what modern art could be.
Today, Melehi's work continues to occupy a vital place within international discussions of modernism, abstraction and cultural identity. Its presentation within Project a Black Planet offers an opportunity to consider his enduring contribution to artistic histories that extend beyond national boundaries, reflecting the interconnected cultural landscapes that continue to shape contemporary art.
