If you look beyond the ladder and the boxes, you see something beautiful taking shape inside the African Diaspora Art Museum of Atlanta, also known as ADAMA.

This is Atlanta's first look inside its final exhibit of the year.

"I talk all the time about the ways in which Atlanta has informed my own practice as an artist, but also my world view, and recognizing that Blackness is not monolithic. It's shaped and informed by all kinds of experiences from all over the world," founder and executive director Dr. Fahamu Pecou said. "When we think about Atlanta as this Black cultural mecca, it's always been a little off-putting to me that we didn't necessarily have a space where you can go and experience that culture."

Pecou founded ADAMA in 2018 to help fill that void. It's located inside Pittsburgh Yards, south of downtown Atlanta, which was an intentional choice.

"We wanted to have a museum that was reflective of this community in the community so that the young people who go to school in this neighborhood, and live in this community, they can come here and see themselves in ways that they may not see normally," Pecou said. 

Part of the inspiration behind the museum was Pecou's experience living in Atlanta and having access to different expressions of Black identity. 

The new exhibit is called "Brother Brother: The Interior Lives of Black Men" and features select works from the collection of acclaimed actress CCH Pounder.

From Cameroon to Canada, artists from all over the African diaspora are featured. Each is exploring a facet of Black masculinity. 

"We're really excited to present this because a lot of this work does a great service to kind of dispel pervasive narratives of Black men," Pecou said.

You can see more of the art and learn more about the museum here.