A unique art collection is now on view in Dallas.
One typically does not expect to be offered fine art along with a side of fries when dining at a fast-food establishment, yet that is what is served up to patrons of Nando’s chicken restaurants around the world.
The restaurants serve as “galleries” where customers can take in art while enjoying the chain’s famous peri-peri chicken.
The African American Museum at Fair Park is hosting an exhibit now through August 13 that features 62 works of art from the company’s collection.
The exhibit, If You Look Hard Enough, You Can See Our Future, was curated by Laurie Ann Farrell, the senior curator of the Dallas Contemporary Museum. She spent months searching through the collection’s database, looking for “exemplary works that could speak to the strengths of the collection and illustrate a meaningful experience for viewers,” she told the Dallas Observer.
The pieces in the exhibit vary in size, medium, and subject matter, and the works include paintings, sculptures, photographs, and textiles. The unifying theme among the works is “humanity and life,” according to Farrell.
“The exhibition brings together paintings, works on paper, sculptures, and photography as visual documentation of forgotten images and histories in much the same way a journalist records and transmits stories to a reader,” the African American Museum of Dallas posted on Facebook.
“These works were all created in South Africa between 1948 and 2020, and while they are bound by a specific time and place, they chronicle universal issues that touch us all: love, loss and the hope for a better future.”
Nando’s is an international chain specializing in peri-peri chicken, a marinated and grilled delight that combines the flavors of citrus, vinegar, and African Bird’s Eye Chili peppers.
The South African company is proud of its roots and celebrates them by showcasing original artwork from the region in its restaurants. But the company goes beyond just collecting art. It has teamed up with the Spier Art Trust to run ongoing art initiatives, providing developmental support and mentorship to help South African artists hone their skills and earn regular income.
Nando’s owns one of the world’s largest publicly displayed collections of contemporary South African art. More than 28,000 pieces are now on display across five continents at the chain’s 1,200 locations.
Nando’s claims to be the world’s most popular chicken restaurant, with locations in Africa, the United Kingdom, Canada, Europe, and Australia. In the U.S., Nando’s can be found in Maryland, Illinois, Virginia, and Washington D.C., but there are no locations in Texas — yet.
According to the chain’s website, Houston and Dallas will soon have their own Nando’s locations. In December, D Magazine reported that a Nando’s location would open in Addison in late spring 2023. According to the company’s website, the 5100 Belt Line Road location in the Village on the Parkway will be “hatching soon.”
If You Look Hard Enough, You Can See Our Future is free and open to the public. The museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
