Black Earth Rising presents radically beautiful artworks by contemporary African diasporic, Latin American, and Native American artists who are engaging with the splendor of the natural world with a parallel consciousness of its fragility. Each painting, sculpture, and film demonstrates a form of resistance and reclamation as the exhibition addresses social and environmental inequalities and justice against the historical backdrop of European settlement of the New World and the legacy of colonialism.

Among the artists featured are:

- Firelei Báez
- Alejandro Piñero Bello
- Teresita Fernández
- Sky Hopinka
- Tyler Mitchell
- Wangechi Mutu
- Jaune Quick-to-See Smith
- Yinka Shonibare

The exhibition takes its title from terra preta, Portuguese for “black earth,” which refers to a type of fertile soil created by ancient Indigenous civilizations in the Amazon basin thousands of years ago. Recently rediscovered by scientists, it remains more fertile than ordinary land and also is exceptionally good at binding carbon and nitrogen into the soil.

Guest curated by British writer and curator Ekow Eshun with support from Katie Cooke, BMA Manager of Curatorial Affairs

Dates: May 18, 2025 — September 21, 2025