The newly opened House of African Worlds (Maison des mondes africains - MansA) in Paris's 10th arrondissement has launched with a vibrant inaugural exhibition that transforms the cultural institution into an immersive living room experience. "Noires" by artist Roxane Mbanga, running until October 26, invites visitors to feel at home in what the artist calls her "Grand Salon" - an installation that blends personal heritage with public art space.
Located at 26 rue Jacques Louvel-Tessier, MansA opened its doors in early October as France's first public cultural institution dedicated to African worlds. The building's exterior is wrapped in the colorful patterns of Mbanga's exhibition, immediately signaling the warm, welcoming atmosphere that awaits inside. The artist, born in Paris with Guadeloupean, Cameroonian, and Ivorian heritage, has created what curator Imane Lehérisser describes as "a refuge where she weaves the stories of her heritage."
Upon entering the space, visitors are greeted by the distinctive scent of incense popular in Senegal and West Africa, accompanied by a carefully curated soundtrack created by Mbanga herself. The sensory experience begins immediately as footsteps are cushioned by plastic woven mats that the artist brought back from her travels, setting the tone for an exhibition designed to "activate all the senses," according to art critic and exhibition mediator Elia-Rosa Guirous-Amasse.
The exhibition breaks traditional museum conventions by offering visitors four distinct ways to engage with the space. First, there are audiovisual installations where guests can lounge on large poufs or sit directly on mats and carpets while watching and listening to various presentations, including a video showcasing forgotten female artists of coupé-décalé, the famous musical genre born in Côte d'Ivoire. Second, visitors can settle into a social area equipped with music, traditional African strategy games like ludo and awalé, and a curated library featuring books selected by both Mbanga and the MansA team.
The third option allows visitors to peer into Mbanga's working studio, which she occupies throughout the exhibition's run. This behind-the-scenes access reveals her creative process through colors, fabrics, and notes, extending what Guirous-Amasse calls "the sharing between the intimate and public space because we are like at home, but also in a public space." The fourth and final option simply encourages visitors to exercise complete freedom in how they navigate and experience the Grand Salon.
Guirous-Amasse emphasizes that "Noires" represents "a total exhibition" that deliberately moves away from traditional museum hierarchies. "Here, we invite people to take possession," she explains. "There are somewhat profane objects that have been mixed with the artist's creations." The installation combines textiles dyed using batik techniques, furniture, sculptures, photographs, audiovisual elements, and drawings, creating what the curator describes as a reflection "on thresholds to cross, these transition spaces between interior and exterior, between intimate and social."
The exhibition prominently features a large mural depicting Mbanga's grandmother, mother, and herself - a tribute to the women in her family and Black women in general. Personal objects and family portraits are scattered throughout the space, while wallpaper created in collaboration with designer Marthe Kady Nachtman displays collaged archival photos from Mbanga's collection. This same pattern appears on carpets throughout the exhibition, creating visual continuity that reinforces the domestic, lived-in atmosphere.
Visitors have responded enthusiastically to the innovative approach. Octavia, a 52-year-old woman with Guadeloupean heritage who visited on her birthday October 14, learned about MansA through the Bondy Blog. "I had read that the artist wanted to create a place where Black people feel at home, feel good. That's powerful," she said. While appreciating the institution's existence, Octavia also expressed political questions about its government backing and hopes for future developments including museums dedicated to slavery, colonization, and Françafrique.
Armance, a 22-year-old musician and actress who discovered the venue through L'Officiel des spectacles, was drawn to the exhibition's multisensory approach. "The fact that it's a device that exploits all sensations, that we're immersed in a living room, this immersive atmosphere and multidisciplinary performance speak to me. I'm an artist too," she explained while browsing books in the exhibition's library corner.
Wesley, a 36-year-old man of Cameroonian origin who grew up in France, brought a designer friend from eastern France to experience the exhibition together. Having discovered MansA through social media, he found personal connection in the space: "A house like this puts me in direct connection with what I am. It's interesting, but not only for me. It's also for other people from other cultures. It allows us to discover [Africans, the continent] from an angle other than that conveyed by the media. Culture is something more touching. There's an emotional connection."
Through Mbanga's intuitive, engaged, multidisciplinary, and colorful production, MansA has given physical form to one of the multiple versions of the "dialogue space" it now aims to embody. The exhibition represents both a personal journey for the artist and a broader statement about creating inclusive cultural spaces in the heart of Paris.
The "Noires" experience extends beyond MansA's walls, with two additional installations from the project - "La Salle à manger" (The Dining Room) and "La Terrasse" (The Terrace) - opening at 193 Gallery in Paris from November 8, 2025, to January 10, 2026. Entry to the MansA exhibition is free with advance reservation, making this groundbreaking cultural experiment accessible to all who wish to experience Mbanga's vision of home, heritage, and belonging.
