EXCLUSIVE WEBINAR | “Blackness in Renaissance Art: Beyond the Margins”
Presented by Fred Kudjo Kuwornu 
with Additional Commentary by Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

How was Blackness seen, represented, and lived in Renaissance Europe? Too often relegated to the margins of art history, the presence of Black Africans – as saints, servants, diplomats, and rulers – is woven into some of the period’s most iconic artworks. This webinar draws directly from the filmmaking and research of Afro-Italian artist  and filmmaker Fred Kudjo Kuwornu, creator of We Were Here: The Untold History of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe exhibited at the 60th Edition of The Venice Biennale Art (2024) . Through a 45-minute presentation-style talk, Kuworn will uncover hidden figures, challenge traditional iconographic readings, and ask what “Blackness” truly meant within Renaissance society – not only in paintings and sculptures, but also in the social and cultural fabric of the time. He will also introduce recent perspectives from independent visual artists who brought these questions to the 60th Venice Biennale, offering a decolonized and urgently relevant re-reading of the Renaissance canon. This is a unique opportunity to move beyond the margins and rediscover European art history through a Black gaze.

The webinar will include a 45-minute lecture followed by 15-minutes of Q&A.

Please note:

• Your participation is confirmed once you have purchased your ticket. You will receive the Zoom Link to join the presentation circa 30 minutes before the start time.
• VIDEO RECORDING of the webinar will be available for unlimited streaming at your convenience for 7 days after the event.

Fred Kudjo Kuwornu is an Afro-Italian and U.S. multi-hyphenate socially engaged artist, filmmaker, curator and scholar based in New York. His work bridges past and present, the seen and unseen, exploring identity and race through historical remixing of archival materials. Kuwornu’s films have been exhibited at the 60ᵗʰ Venice Art Biennale in the Central Pavillion curated by Adriano Pedrosa (2024), museums and international film festivals and in 2025 his most recent feature documentary qualified for Academy Awards For Your Consideration in the Best Documentary Feature category.

In 2025, Kuwornu was awarded the Folger Shakespeare Library Fellowship for his innovative approach to early modern European history through the lens of the African diaspora. He also received the Dan David Prize, the world’s largest history award, in recognition of his career-long contributions to public history and cultural memory through audiovisual

More info: https://www.fredkuwornu.com