The Association of Women in the Arts's first conference near Bond Street and the 'Lagos, Peckham, Repeat' exhibition in south London are worlds and a lengthy commute apart
Rakeb Sile and Mesai Haileleul, co-founders of Addis Fine Art, which focuses on Modern and contemporary Ethiopian artists, have set up a gallery in London’s Cromwell Place hub Courtesy of Bandele Zuberi and Addis Fine Art
The fates and fortunes of African artists have, until recently, been largely shaped by outsider interests. But now, as the market for these artists grows apace, African galleries are taking a firmer hand in their fortunes by expanding to the West.
The catch-all term “African art” one created by Western auction houses and dealers has proven to be a brilliant marketing tactic. A critical and commercial domino effect has been spurred by events such as the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair and seminal exhibitions like
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A visitor enjoys a striking exhibit by Niyi Olagunji shown by Tafeta Gallery during the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair at Somerset House in London on Oct. 8. Getty Images Text size
For gallery owners, artists, and collectors, life before the pandemic often involved getting on a plane and going to Paris, Los Angeles, or maybe Shanghai, to attend the next splashy art fair.
But all that was upended, of course, as the pandemic shut down fair after fair. First to announce a closure was Art Basel Hong Kong, which canceled its March fair in February and moved many of its galleries to online viewing rooms, or OVRs.