Max Diallo Jakobsen is a writer, historian, curator and researcher whose work explores the intersections of materiality and cultural history. At the core of his practice is an exploration into how material forms, from textiles and photographs to archives and the built and natural environment, register histories of movement, labor, and daring imagination.
In his scholarship, Max examines how artists and makers in Africa have used material practices to articulate new cultural and political imaginaries. His thesis at Princeton University, BLUEPRINTS, examined indigo textile traditions in Guinea, tracing their historical, economic, and aesthetic trajectories, and was awarded the Henry Richardson Labouisse 1926 Prize. His research and writing have been featured on Tender Photos and Artsy, and he has presented at the 19th Triennial Symposium on African Art in Chicago, George Washington University, and more.
As an extension of his research, Max has curated and contributed to exhibitions and curatorial projects in collaboration with museums, galleries, and art spaces across Africa, the Gulf, Europe, and North America. This year, he served on the jury for the Southnord UP NEXT Prize and curated the exhibition of the winning artist, Viola Nimuhamya, in Stockholm. He has also assisted the curatorial team at fondationcartier in Paris on a major exhibition set to open in October 2026. Max is currently an arak_artcollection Curatorial Fellow and is curating a forthcoming exhibition at the ujfadagallery in Johannesburg, opening in February 2026.
At the talk, Max spoke about his research into indigo textiles and material culture. He explored pan African histories through curatioria practice.
