Coumba Samba at Kunsthalle Basel: September 18, 2024

Coumba Samba’s multimedia exhibition opened at Kunsthalle Basel on September 18, 2024, and is scheduled to run through August 22, 2026. The exhibition is a collaboration between Kunsthalle Basel and the London-based exhibition space, Galerina.

Samba, born in 2000, employs a diverse range of artistic mediums in her function, which explores the impact of institutional structures on individual and collective identities. Her practice questions dominant cultural narratives, offering a critical examination of the forces shaping contemporary understanding.

The artist’s work delves into themes of consumer culture, social dynamics, and the intersection of technology and identity, illuminating the relationship between mainstream cultural expressions and more subversive artistic practices. A central focus of Samba’s work is the enduring legacy of colonialism and its continuing influence on the social and political landscape.

Künsthalle Basel has a history of public engagement through art, utilizing its exterior wall since 1996 for individual artistic presentations of contemporary art. The collaboration with Galerina on the Coumba Samba project continues this commitment, embracing new curatorial perspectives.

Galerina was invited by Kunsthalle Basel in 2025 to co-curate and present Samba’s project. The exhibition reflects on how institutional structures impact identity formation.