Abstract artist Julie Mehretu empowers African creatives through continent-wide workshops
Renowned abstract artist Julie Mehretu has been chosen to design a groundbreaking glass artwork for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. This marks her first time working with the material. Known for her large-scale, multilayered paintings exploring history and globalism, Mehretu is also expanding her influence by supporting African artists through a series of workshops across the continent.
The project follows a recent collaboration with BMW, where she proposed a Pan-African highway initiative using a car to connect filmmakers in five cities. Her work is featured in major institutions like the Smithsonian, the Met, and the British Museum.
Mehretu’s new commission will transform a 34-storey glass window along the center’s escalator into a vast, immersive artwork. The piece will be her first in glass, adding a fresh dimension to her practice.
Beyond her own work, she has spent months leading workshops in five African cities: Lagos, Tangier, Nairobi, Dakar, and Cape Town. Each session focused on media arts, film, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Local partners included Terra Kulture in Lagos, Fondation Riad El Fenn in Tangier, the GoDown Arts Centre in Nairobi, IFAN Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar, and the Michaelis School of Fine Art in Cape Town.
The goal was to foster intergenerational dialogue and amplify underrepresented voices. Each city produced a short film, which will be compiled into a final showcase of contemporary African filmmaking. Mehretu sees this as a way to build a stronger, more connected artistic community across the continent.
Her BMW-backed Pan-African highway project used a car as a symbolic link between locations. The initiative aimed to create new forms of storytelling while strengthening ties between filmmakers in different countries.
Looking ahead, Mehretu wants to expand these efforts into a broader collective. She hopes to open more opportunities for African artists, ensuring their work reaches wider audiences.
The Obama Center’s glass artwork will stand as Mehretu’s most ambitious public piece to date. Meanwhile, her workshops have already produced new films and strengthened creative networks across Africa.
The final compilation of films will be released later this year, offering a snapshot of contemporary African storytelling. Her work continues to bridge global art spaces while uplifting local talent.
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