See “Christian Nyampeta: Sometimes It Was Beautiful” at the Guggenheim

Artist, filmmaker, and writer Christian Nyampeta has transformed the Guggenheim’s rotunda into a venue for collective feeling and cooperative thinking with an immersive presentation comprising his film “Sometimes It Was Beautiful” as well as audio, videos, and drawings. The film, which is projected on a large screen suspended in the darkened rotunda, features a group of unlikely friends who gather to watch and critique films made by Swedish cinematographer Sven Nykvist in the Congo between 1948 and 1952. Their discussion highlights enduring tensions surrounding social transformation, cultural property, and who has the right to representation. This exhibition is organized by Xiaoyu Weng, The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Associate Curator.