The exhibition Flight Into Egypt: Black Artists and Ancient Egypt 1876 – Now was on view at The Metropolitan Musuem on Fifth Avenue, in New York City from November 17, 2024–February 17, 2025. It spoke to the yearning of African people in the continent and throughout the diaspora to connect with ancient Egypt, known as the cradle of civilization, and claim our reflection in its arts, culture and sciences.
In case you missed it, please enjoy this photo gallery which is a subjective perusal of the exhibition through the eyes of journalist and visual artist Dawn Suggs who photographed many of the pieces while accompanied by fellow artist and filmmaker Thomas A. Harris on November 23, 2024.
Here is an excerpt of the introduction to the Flight Into Egypt: Black Artists and Ancient Egypt 1876 – Now:
“… Beginning in the late nineteenth century, Black communities started to look to Egypt as evidence of an undeniably great ancient African culture. This served the imperative to reclaim indentities that were systematically stripped through the transatlantic slave trade, generational enslavement, and continued dehumanization in American and colonial societies. It also opposed the prevailing view of Egyptology at the time, which characterized the civilization as proto-European and distinct from “Black Africa.”
“Greece and Rome — and through them Europe and America have received their civilizaiton from the ancient Egyptians. This face is not denied by anybody. But Egypt is in Africa… The ancient Egyptians were not white people; but were, undoubtedly just about as dark in complexion as many in this country who are considered genuine negroes.”
Frederick Douglas, “The Claims of The Negro Ethnologically Considered.”