Max Diallo Jakobsen

Max Diallo Jakobsen is a Master of Arts student in Global African Studies at The Africa Institute, Global Studies University, specializing in Museum and Critical Heritage Studies. Born in Sweden and of Guinean descent, Max is a writer, historian, and researcher whose work examines African art and visual culture, literature, archives, and material culture. He investigates how artistic and material forms, from textiles and photographs to the built environment, record histories of movement and transformation and how cultural practitioners mobilize these forms as tools of political and cultural imagination. Drawing on Guinea, he traces how makers and intellectuals articulated visions of cultural autonomy that continue to shape contemporary exhibitions, institutions, and cultural policy. Max has curated and contributed to exhibitions across Africa, Europe, the Gulf, and North America, highlighting the transnational circulation of ideas and material histories and the evolving role of curatorial practice in cultural heritage.

Academic Background

• B.A., History, African Studies & Visual Arts, Princeton University, 2024

Professional Experience

• 2024–present: Founder & Director, Special Collections, Conakry, Guinea
• 2025-2026: Curatorial Fellow, ARAK Collection, Doha, Qatar (remote)
  Guest Curator, Southnord, Stockholm, Sweden, 2025
• 2025: Researcher-in-Residence, Lusaka Contemporary Art Centre, Lusaka, Zambia2025: Curatorial Assistant,
• Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain, Paris, France
• 2024-2025: Henry Richardson Labouisse ’26 Research Fellow, Princeton University, Guinea
• 2021-2024: Communications & Administrative Assistant, Princeton Institute for International & Regional Studies, Princeton, USA

Publications and Contributions

• 2026, Exhibition: After Material, University of Johannesburg / ARAK Collection, Johannesburg
• 2026, Exhibition / Curatorial Contribution: Ibrahim Mahama: The Harvest Season, Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain, Paris
• 2026, Essay – An Undisclosed Location, Zahra Mansoor Solo Exhibition, Sanat Initiative, Karachi
• 2025, Film Series – References, Lusaka Contemporary Art Centre, Lusaka
• 2025, Open Research Studio – Revolutionary Forms, Lusaka Contemporary Art Centre, Lusaka
• 2025, Exhibition – Here, Time Pauses: Stephen Price, Galerie Revel, Bordeaux
• 2025, Exhibition / Jury – One at a Time: Viola Nimuhamya, Southnord, Stockholm
• 2025, Essay – Familiar Forms: Labor, Material, and Space, Viola Nimuhamya Solo Exhibition, Southnord, Stockholm
• 2024, Exhibition – Giving Form to the Whole World: Samuel Nnorom, Art Antwerp / Galerie Revel
• 2024, Exhibition – Ninfo, Te Quiero: Juan Arango Palacios, Galerie Revel, Bordeaux
• 2024, Exhibition – CYPHER: IMAG[IN]E Photography, The Bronx, New York
• 2024, Thesis / Presentation – BLUEPRINTS: Tracing Textiles & the Crafting of an Indigo Imaginary, Princeton University; ACASA 19th Triennial Symposium on African Art, Chicago

Awards & Fellowships

• 2025: Curatorial Fellowship – ARAK Collection
• 2025: Southnord Residency Award – Lusaka Contemporary Art Centre
• 2025: Tender Photo Editorial Fellowship, Lagos
• 2024: Henry Richardson Labouisse ’26 Prize, Princeton University
• 2024: Spirit of Princeton Award,Princeton University
• 2023: Alex Adam ’07 Award, Lewis Center for the Arts
• 2023: Lawrence Stone & Shelby Cullom Davis Thesis Prize, Princeton University

Connect With

www.maxdiallojakobsen.com