Stolen Time, a New Showcase Opens at the Murate Art District

An exhibition consisting of works by Georges Adéagbo and William Demby is now on display at the Murate Art District.

written by Tyler Kirwan for SPEL: Journalism

On February 5, 2025, The Murate Art District opened their Black History Month display with the theme ‘Tempo Rubato’ or ‘Stolen Time.’ Free to the public and spanning two floors, the exhibit includes works by Georges Adéagbo and William Demby. 

The ground floor of the former prison turned museum, houses an art display titled ‘Divorando le Pietre,’ which is a collection of collages arranged by Georges Adéagbo. These collages are a reworking of some displayed in 2008 and were developed for the 10th annual Black History Month of Florence. 

The next floor of the museum features a sprawling display focusing on the life and works of William Demby. These two figures were selected for exhibit based on their relation to this year's Black History Month theme centered around time. 

Georges Adéagbo’s collection, Divorando le Pietre, consists of objects found in his home country of Benin, Africa. Alongside the found objects from his journeys through Africa, the collages also consist of items found in Rome, Venice, and Florence, Italy. Following the theme of Tempo Rubato, Adéagbo’s exhibition notes refer to the exhibit as “a meditation on stolen time and histories.” Modern items such as beer bottles and paperback books are juxtaposed against traditional masks and statues. 

William Demby was a multifaceted creative; his career spanning journalism, writing, music, and acting. The title of the exhibit, Tremendous Mobility, revisits Demby's published work, as well as displays unfinished and unreleased texts and photographs. William Demby was an important Black figure in postwar Italy, and his inclusion in the exhibit aids in educating visitors of his impact. 

During his life, William Demby made impacts in many fields, as featured in the collection. The museum space shows published newspaper articles written by him, as well as pages from his most famous work ‘Beetlecreek.’ Beyond his published titles, the display contains fragments of in progress works, and photographs taken of him and by him. Demby in his earlier life also worked as a translator, writing English subtitles for Italian movies.

Black History Month Florence is organized by the Associazione Culturale (BHMF). Speaking with the Co-Founder and Director of the collective, Justin Thompson says “History is something that is always being written at every moment in time. Its interpretation is through our voices and through our work. Unfortunately, a lot of black history has been narrated by non-black individuals, especially in Italy.”

The theme of history and time are prevalent in both of these collections, with Adéagbo’s display, history is shown to be at play at all moments. The collages allow the past and present to have equal share in the space they consume. “Georges Adéagbo, is collapsing all of these timescapes, we're talking about contemporaneity, and we're talking about antiquity encountering each other across cultures” explains Justin Thompson.

Speaking on the William Demby collection and its relation to time, Justin Thompson says “We're talking about the capacity to move throughout time, just simply by being in proximity of elements that speak to us of history. We're always negotiating time in these ways”

The William Demby display was made possible due to The Recovery Plan, a research center that works with the Murate Art District. BHMF also worked with the son of William Demby, James Demby, to ensure authenticity, working with him to gain personal and familial perspective when combing through archives. 

Both of these Black History Month collections will be available to the public until May 5th. The Murate Art District is open Tuesday-Saturday 2:30-7:30pm.