Annual Special Exhibition 2025 | Wifredo Lam: Outside In 24.05.2025 — 13.07.2025

About The Exhibition

What does it mean for an artist to be ahead of their time?

Increasingly recognised as one of the most important artists of the 20th century, Wifredo Lam (1902–1982) led an exceptional life—moving across borders, cultures and pivotal moments in modern history.

Lam was born to a Chinese father and an Afro-Cuban mother in Sagua La Grande, Cuba, and lived and travelled in several countries including Spain, France, Haiti and Italy. He was deeply engaged with the key avant-garde movements of his time, especially Surrealism, and formed lasting connections with cultural figures like Picasso and Aimé Césaire. These experiences and relationships developed amid the turbulent backdrop of the Spanish Civil War, World War II and decolonisation movements in the Caribbean.

Lam’s journey deeply impacted his art, resulting in a distinct visual language that blended Afro-Cuban imagery with Western modernism. Grounded in his own lived reality and heritage, his work challenged the exoticised, Western-centric gaze that shaped the portrayal of these cultures. In doing so, Lam carved out space for other ways of seeing, enabling the assertion of alternate worldviews within the Eurocentric art canon.

Despite his significant contribution to 20th-century art, Lam’s work was not always fully recognised during his lifetime. Today, the critical re-examination of art history—both in form and content—is redrawing the traditional lines between centre and periphery, shaping a more plural art landscape. Outside In is one of many exhibitions around the world that is contributing to the increasing affirmation of Lam’s legacy. Focusing on his prints, which were often made in dialogue with poems, this presentation explores a central but lesser-known aspect of his practice.

STPI would like to thank the Wifredo Lam Estate, Paris for their support of this exhibition.