We are delighted to welcome artist, cultural facilitator and educator, Justin Randolph Thompson to deliver the latest in the series of annual lectures on subjects of Italian interest; C’è di mezzo il mare: The Distance between Black Presence and Black Representation in Italian Renaissance Art History

This year we celebrate the 15th Lucrezia Zaina Bequest Lecture in Italian Studies at the University of Liverpool, an annual event made possible through the generous bequest of alumna and former French and Italian lecturer, Lucrezia Zaina.

In this lecture, Justin will explore four years of research that reimagines the vision, mission, and self-reflection of the Uffizi Galleries between 2019 and 2023. Centred on the acclaimed virtual exhibitions On Being Present, which brought together leading historians to examine Black African figures in Italian art and to challenge traditional notions of presence and representation.

Justin Randolph Thompson is Co-Founder and Director of Black History Month Florence, a multi-faceted exploration of Black histories and cultures in the context of Italy founded in 2016. Having realised, coordinated, curated, facilitated and promoted over 400 events and with 9 ongoing research platforms, the initiative has been reframed as a research centre called The Recovery Plan which is directed by Justin.

The talk also reflects on the exhibition K(C)ongo. Fragments of Interlaced Dialogues and its interrogation of Medici collecting practices and Renaissance‑era cultural exchanges. Framed within the wider mission of The Recovery Plan, a Florence‑based centre dedicated to the histories and cultures of people of African descent, the lecture highlights new, accessible approaches to cultural engagement beyond academic and museum settings. Through these interconnected projects, it proposes fresh, grassroots methodologies for imagining more expansive histories—and more realistic futures.

Justin Randolph Thompson is an artist, cultural facilitator and educator born in Peekskill, NY in ’79. Based in Italy since 1999.

His life and work seek to deepen the discussions around socio-cultural stratification and the arrogance of permanence through hybrid objects grounded in notions of functionality and through performative works that employ fleeting temporary communities as monuments and fostering projects that connect academic discourse, social activism and DIY networking strategies in annual and biennial gathering, sharing and gestures of collectivity. Thompson is Co-Founder and Director of Black History Month Florence (BHMF) and of The Recovery Plan and part of the curatorial collective BHMF.

Following the lecture, from 7pm, there will be an Italian themed drinks reception for all.

This event is promoted by The University of Liverpool. Please click on the 'More info' link above to book via eventbrite.

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