Home

THIS NOT A WHITE CUBE is an international contemporary art gallery simultaneously based in Luanda and Lisbon, Portugal. Representing and collaborating with emergent and established artists, the gallery focuses primarily on narratives associated with the African continent and its diaspora. Beyond its deep connection to Africa — and with a pioneering spirit of decompartmentalization and inclusiveness, cheerfully favoring intercultural dialogues — THIS NOT A WHITE CUBE is the first African gallery in Portugal to open its collaborative circle to both local artists and artistic productions from the Global South, including Brazil and non-lusophone African countries. 

THIS NOT A WHITE CUBE extends its dynamic activities to several institutional and independent spaces with the organization of ambitious collective exhibitions outside the gallery’s walls. On these occasions, the gallery invites external curators, associations or other art galleries to collaborate, thus promoting innovative associations and cultural enrichment while providing unexpected opportunities for artists. 

Founded in Luanda by Sónia Ribeiro in 2016, the gallery quickly became a leader in Angola’s artistic and cultural panorama. It was in 2019 that the project expanded to Chiado, one of Lisbon’s most emblematic neighborhoods. Given Portugal's historical relationships with Africa and its strategic location as a gateway to Europe, the country’s capital was considered a natural location for this first growth stage. 

Both exhibition spaces have independent programs, offering collectors and amateurs a relevant and compelling selection of contemporary artists working across a wide diversity of media and techniques. Since its creation, the gallery has remained true to one of its primary goals, that of allowing artists to share, through their work, their unique perspectives on the World. Throughout an extensive yearly program that includes regular exhibitions in Portugal and Angola along with constant participations in numerous international art fairs, attention is drawn to topics such as globalization, identity, memory, cultural heritage, and social changes. 

Its three directors, Sónia Ribeiro (CEO), Graça Rodrigues (Curator) and Ngoi Salucombo (Executive director of the Angolan delegation) have a singular entrepreneurial and artistic vision based on a solid curatorial and collaborative approach. In 2019, the gallery founded "O CUBO", a non-profit platform that seeks to boost experimentation and research through the development of artistic residencies, editorial projects, archive mapping, and the establishment of a network of local and international partnerships. While furthering its expansion and the development of its fruitful connections worldwide, the gallery presented several international exhibitions, including South Africa, France, Italy, Serbia, Morocco and the UK