Black Archive Germany: Cate Lartey in Conversation with Laurel Chokoago

Cate Lartey presents Black Archive Germany, a project that takes a combined artistic and documentary approach to examining the collecting, archiving, and visualising of Black, African, and Afro-diasporic lived realities in Germany. The project centres around the question of how the beauty, depth, and complexity of diasporic life can be depicted in a way that sidesteps stereotypes. Its goal is to create a visual archive that celebrates cultural identity, resilience, and community. Extending beyond the process of documentation in the form of photography, the project also seeks to encompass the creation of new spaces of exchange and new rooms for imagination.

Cate Lartey and Laurel Chokoago discuss, among other things, issues and opportunities relating to collecting and the artistic output of Black people in Germany.

Cate Lartey is an artist, freelance curator, and creator from Düsseldorf, where she studied design at the Peter Behrens School of Arts. She subsequently completed postgraduate study in art history and media studies at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne. Her work centres on aesthetics, archival work, and visual and material cultures, with a particular focus on Africa and its diaspora. Her curatorial approach is influenced by theories of visual and material culture and seeks to create spaces that foster encounters, learning, and knowledge exchange.

Laurel Chokoago is an artist working in time-based media, photography, and installation. In 2025, she completed her MFA at the University of Fine Arts Hamburg. In her artistic practice, she explores hybrid formations of identity within the context of postcolonial, globalized societies, as well as within the tensions of an increasingly digital age. Her works often emerge from a subjective, personal perspective and combine theoretical research with visual realization. Pop culture, music, and social dynamics serve as important spaces for reflection in her work. Through her practice, Chokoago aims to create visibility for realities that exist within a constantly shifting in-between space—and to open up spaces in which fixed notions of cultural identity can be questioned and individual experiences can become visible.

Moderation: Jumoke Olusanmi

Ticket information: Admission to this event is free of charge.