ROMARE BEARDEN – A LIFE IN COLLAGE
Part of IDFA 2026 – The Stories We Carry, curated by Black Soil Film Festival
How do we preserve collective memory, reclaim our histories and tell stories that have too often been overlooked?
Romare Bearden: A Life in Collage explores the life and legacy of one of the most influential African American artists of the twentieth century. Through his distinctive use of collage, Bearden brought together fragments of everyday life, music, history and personal memory to create powerful visual narratives of the Black American experience.
Deeply influenced by jazz, the Harlem Renaissance and the cultural traditions of the African diaspora, Bearden’s work challenged conventional representations of Black identity while celebrating the richness and complexity of Black life.
As part of The Stories We Carry, Black Soil presents this documentary as an exploration of art as a form of storytelling, cultural preservation and resistance. Bearden’s work reminds us that history is not only found in archives, but also in the images, memories and experiences we carry with us.
Introduction by Edward Akintola Hubbard
Edward Akintola Hubbard is an anthropologist, artist and curator working at the intersections of contemporary art, experimental ethnography, cinema and cultural theory. He is the co-founder and Artistic Director of DARKMATTER Collective and currently teaches Audiovisual Design at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam.
Part of IDFA 2026 – The Stories We Carry, curated by Black Soil Film Festival
How do we preserve collective memory, reclaim our histories and tell stories that have too often been overlooked?
Romare Bearden: A Life in Collage explores the life and legacy of one of the most influential African American artists of the twentieth century. Through his distinctive use of collage, Bearden brought together fragments of everyday life, music, history and personal memory to create powerful visual narratives of the Black American experience.
Deeply influenced by jazz, the Harlem Renaissance and the cultural traditions of the African diaspora, Bearden’s work challenged conventional representations of Black identity while celebrating the richness and complexity of Black life.
As part of The Stories We Carry, Black Soil presents this documentary as an exploration of art as a form of storytelling, cultural preservation and resistance. Bearden’s work reminds us that history is not only found in archives, but also in the images, memories and experiences we carry with us.
Introduction by Edward Akintola Hubbard
Edward Akintola Hubbard is an anthropologist, artist and curator working at the intersections of contemporary art, experimental ethnography, cinema and cultural theory. He is the co-founder and Artistic Director of DARKMATTER Collective and currently teaches Audiovisual Design at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam.