Truth Lab participants turn evidence into creative expression – and you’re invited!

What happens when fact-checking, digital verification and creative practice come together? This Friday, the public is invited to From Evidence to Expression, a pop-up exhibition presenting work developed through the Truth Lab programme.

The exhibition marks the conclusion of the Building Narratives Studio, a five-day creative workshop taking place in Johannesburg this week. Nineteen selected participants are working together to translate verified evidence into accessible forms of storytelling, including comics, posters, zines, illustrations, audio essays, podcasts, video, memory maps and interactive visualisations.

The studio follows the Make & Fake Lab, an online training programme held from 3 to 13 August. Participants explored media literacy, fact-checking and digital verification with experts and partners including Wikimedia South Africa, MOXII Africa, Africa Check, Dr Christopher Nehring from Germany and the National Press Club.

Guided by South African creative collective House of INVADE and Burkinabè-French street artist, illustrator and cartoonist El Marto, participants are now developing creative responses to the evidence and ideas examined during the first phase.

From Evidence to Expression will present both the completed works and the investigative processes behind them. Visitors will be able to see how evidence was collected, how false or misleading information was identified, and how verified findings were shaped into clear and engaging narratives.

Truth Lab is a multidisciplinary programme that supports young journalists, Wikimedians, artists and digital creators across Southern Africa to identify misinformation and communicate reliable information in accessible ways. It is initiated by the Goethe-Institut South Africa and the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), with funding from the Franco-German Cultural Fund.

The exhibition opens on Friday, 18 September 2026, at 17:00 at the Goethe-Institut Johannesburg, 119 Jan Smuts Avenue, Parkwood. The event is free to attend and no RSVP is required.