After its debut in Washington and following exhibition in Brazil, In Slavery’s Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World has now reached its third international stop, opening at the Iziko South African National Gallery in Cape Town. Developed by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, the exhibition brings together close to 190 objects, 250 images, and 10 multimedia interactives and films. Through historical artefacts, oral histories, immersive media and contemporary artworks, it opens an intercontinental dialogue on slavery, colonialism, memory and the ongoing pursuit of freedom.

For this major travelling exhibition, Meyvaert designed and produced 34 modular, conservation-grade showcases. These include recessed wall cases, wall-mounted cases, semi-circular table cases, and glass hoods with bases. Built to meet stringent Smithsonian conservation standards, the showcases were engineered for repeated installation and dismantling across multiple venues, with passive humidity regulation, extra-white glass, LED lighting, and an air exchange rate of 0.1 per day.

As the exhibition continues its global journey, the showcases provide a stable and adaptable setting for fragile, heavy and uniquely shaped objects. Their role is to help protect the material traces of lives, struggles and acts of resistance that continue to speak across continents.

In Slavery’s Wake is on view at the Iziko South African National Gallery in Cape Town from 22 May to 31 October 2026.