Archival gazes: Pitt Rivers Museum's Sudan collection
The Southern Sudan collection at the Pitt Rivers Museum, established in 1884, grew from contributions by explorers, colonial administrators, and anthropologists in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Key figures included E. E. Evans-Pritchard, whose 1926–1936 fieldwork produced thousands of Nuer and Azande photographs, as well as Godfrey Lienhardt and Wilfred Thesiger. Today, the collection holds over 5,000 photographs and 1,300 artefacts—one of the most significant visual and material records of the region’s cultural history.
In the early 2000s, the Recovering the Material and Visual Cultures of the Southern Sudan project catalogued and digitised these materials (thank you), mapping photographers, subjects, and cultural groups. The collection remains there, reflecting the museum’s insistence on blocking original communities from accessing their historical holdings.
Contemporary visions: The art of Akot Solip
Akot Solip is a South Sudanese visual artist and animator whose practice has developed alongside the country’s evolving cultural and civic landscape. Solip came of age during a period marked by conflict, transition, and the search for identity. These conditions shaped his interest in visual storytelling, leading him to pursue art as both a personal and professional path.
Over the years, Solip has built a career working across painting and community-based art initiatives. He has been actively involved in collaborative projects with local and international organizations, contributing to programs that use visual art as a tool for education, dialogue, and social engagement. His work has appeared in public campaigns and institutional contexts, including initiatives linked to organizations such as Defy Hate Now, where artists were engaged to address themes of peacebuilding and social cohesion.
In addition to his studio practice, Solip has participated in workshops, school outreach programs, and exhibitions that connect art to broader community experiences.