About
Research
References
Contact
As a researcher, Max specializes in modern and contemporary African art, cultural and political history, with a particular emphasis on the independence eras of the 1960s and 70s. His thesis on the history of indigo textile traditions in Guinea, earned him the Henry Richardson Labouisse 1926 Prize. An early version of BLUEPRINTS was previewed at the 19th Triennial Symposium on African Art in Chicago in August 2024. Max is also a Tender Photo Editorial Fellow, where he researches and writes about African photography.
As an extension of his research, Max has co-curated exhibitions in Princeton and New York. With the support of a Projects for Peace Grant, he co-led IMAG(IN)E: The Black Photographic Tradition through Flux, a film photography summer program in The Bronx that culminated in the group exhibition CYPHER. Max has also contributed writing for exhibitions, including Juan Arango Palacios at Galerie Revel and Samuel Nnorom at Art Antwerp. He is currently developing exhibitions in Stockholm, Conakry, Johannesburg, and Paris.
In his art practice, Max contends with themes of memory and migration, across mediums including printmaking, installation and video. He has presented work in several group exhibitions, including Sound Images organized by Tina Campt and Exceed Your Vision curated by James Welling. Max is a recipient of the Alex Adam ‘07 Award from the Lewis Center for the Arts. In 2025, he was named the inaugural recipient of the Southnord Residency Programme Award, hosted in partnership with the Lusaka Contemporary Art Center.
Max holds an A.B. in History, African Studies & Visual Arts from Princeton University, where he served as President of the African Students Association and worked at the Institute for International and Regional Studies. Upon graduation, he received the Student Leader of the Year Award, African Vanguard Award, and the Spirit of Princeton Award.