CURA. 46 – Christelle Oyiri

Soft Power

Soft Power
Spring Summer 2026

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In times of conflict and imposed power structures, artists tell stories of different worlds and alternative narratives. They do not represent the world from a single perspective: they narrate it from multiple viewpoints, with their ability to subvert perceptions and connect differences, participating in processes of cultural transformation.

Christelle Oyiri
Portrait by Maeva Kougnon
Courtesy of the artist

In times of conflict and imposed power structures, artists tell stories of different worlds and alternative narratives.

They do not represent the world from a single perspective: they narrate it from multiple viewpoints, with their ability to subvert perceptions and connect differences, participating in processes of cultural transformation.

With five portrait covers, featuring Sung Tieu, Cao Fei, Christelle Oyiri, Tabita Rezaire, Róisín Tapponi, an incredibly rich board of authors, and over 420 pages, CURA.46 Soft Power presents the artists who are redefining the geographies of art today, actively intervening in the collective imagination not only through speculative or futuristic aesthetics, but across a variety of media. Artists who embody the ability of art to build worlds, dismantling dominant paradigms through new storylines and the possibility of reinterpreting the past or imagining possible futures: techno-cultural and postcolonial identities, decolonial futures, and speculative imaginaries capable of developing alternative visions intertwine with the memory of home, family experience, and history.

Artists
Sung Tieu, Cao Fei, Ayoung Kim, Meriem Bennani, Farah Al Qasimi, Dorota Gawęda/Eglė Kulbokaitė, Tolia Astakhishvili, Lydia Ourahmane, Melike Kara, Precious Okoyomon, Diamond Stingily, Sandra Mujinga, Tabita Rezaire, Christelle Oyiri, Ruba Karabekian, Li Yi-Fan, Janiva Ellis, Mawena Yehouessi, Sadaf H Nava.

Contributors
Dan Rees, Christopher Williams-Wynn, Xue Tan, Ruba Katrib, Ruth Gebreyesus, Sarah Johanna Theurer, Alvin Li, Fabio Cherstich, Myriam Ben Salah, Jamieson Webster, Coumba Samba, Nikita Sena Quarshie, Mariam Elnozahy, Martha Kirszenbaum, Róisín Tapponi, Nora N. Khan, Mohamed Almusibli, Rosanna Puyol Boralevi, Laura McLean-Ferris.

Contents

SUNG TIEU

Texts by Dan Rees and CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS-WYNN

CAO FEI

In conversation with XUE TAN

AYOUNG KIM

Text by RUBA KATRIB

FARAH AL QASIMI

VISUAL ESSAY

MERIEM BENNANI

Text by RUTH GEBREYESUS

DOROTA GAWĘDA AND EGLĖ KULBOKAITĖ

Text by SARAH JOHANNA THEURER

TOLIA ASTAKHISHVILI

Text by ALVIN LI

LYDIA OURAHMANE

In conversation with FABIO CHERSTICH

MELIKE KARA

In conversation with MYRIAM BEN SALAH

PRECIOUS OKOYOMON

In conversation with JAMIESON WEBSTER

DIAMOND STINGILY

In conversation with COUMBA SAMBA

SANDRA MUJINGA

Text by NIKITA SENA QUARSHIE

TABITA REZAIRE

Text by MARIAM ELNOZAHY

CHRISTELLE OYIRI

Text by MARTHA KIRSZENBAUM

RUBA KARABEKIAN

Text by RÓISÍN TAPPONI

LI YI-FAN

In conversation with NORA N. KHAN

JANIVA ELLIS

Text by MOHAMED ALMUSIBLI

MAWENA YEHOUESSI

Text by ROSANNA PUYOL BORALEVI

SADAF H NAVA

In conversation with LAURA MCLEAN-FERRIS