The final exhibition in the Worldmaking series, Reverse Futures, opens 26 June. The exhibition centres on ideas of the future from the Global South, where past, present and future are interconnected. Grounded in historical research, artists’ lived experiences, community narratives and Indigenous knowledge systems, the exhibition examines how the effects of colonialism, migration and technological change continue to shape both the present and our visions of what lies ahead.
Featured artists: Etel Adnan, Cave_bureau, Kate Crawford and Vladan Joler, Paula Gaetano Adi, Kamil Adam Hassim, Traci Kwaai, Ernest Mancoba, Georgia Munnik, Yinka Shonibare, and special projects by Wolff Architects and Rebecca Potterton.
The title Reverse Futures is derived from Nairobi-based architectural practice Cave_bureau who coined the term ‘reverse futurism’ to address the impact and effects of colonialism in Africa and specifically Kenya, explaining that “for the future to exist we need to undo the mistakes of the past” [Mohamed, B. (2025). “Design in Deep Time”, in Future Observatory Journal No. 3, https://fojournal.org/case-study/cave-bureau-profile-more-than-human/]. Reverse Futurism refers to remedial acts that address this history and the present at the same time, while making pathways of healing in the midst of colonial and ongoing neocolonial affective and administrative architectures [Karanja, K. & Mutegi, S. (2023). Cave Bureau, The Architect’s Studio. Humlebaek, DK: Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, pp. 52, 84, 105].
Make a booking to visit the exhibition.
In 2025, we celebrated five years of JCAF. Since our launch in 2020, our programme has evolved, expanding our reach to different communities in South Africa and the Global South. Over the years, we have curated five exhibitions, launched the School of the South lecture series and Knowledge Talks, published the JCAF Journal, hosted kids’ workshops, and initiated a new podcast series.
The inaugural edition of the JCAF Journal: Interdisciplinary Knowledge from the South. No. 1 is available online for free. The journal is the culmination of the first three years of research at JCAF under the theme Female Identities in the Global South.
JCAF is a learning institution committed to engaging with the art and ideas of our time, while acknowledging the role of the past.
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As a future-oriented institution, JCAF aims to explore the intersection of art and technology in the 21st century.
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JCAF aims to present pioneering exhibitions of museum quality that are grounded in rigorous research, develop a critical discourse and help to generate knowledge.
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Visiting JCAF to view exhibitions is only permitted during exhibition hours and with prior registration by booking online.
In each session, we learn about a different discipline with an expert in the field, who is based in the Global South. The conversations range from astrophysics and sustainable food practices, to AI and architecture. Through these talks, we explore how closer relationships between art and science can expand the way we see the world. The JCAF Knowledge Talks podcasts are led by art-critic Ashraf Jamal and recorded in the Foundation’s Reading Room.
Listen on your favourite streaming platform.
