Once again 1-54, the leading international art fair dedicated to contemporary art from Africa and the diaspora has brought an array of diverse creations to the UK.
Somerset House, the UK’s largest creative community in the heart of the capital, is playing host to works by more than 140 artists, including nine solo shows, and visitors to the capital (as well as city residents) have until Sunday 6 October to view the fair. Of the 45 exhibitors, 15 galleries are being welcomed to the London event for the first time. The first work that visitors will encounter is The Fortress that apparently serves as a reminder of the ephemeral nature of human constructions according to the fair organisers.
While the merits of this sculpture by Kiluanji Kia Henda from Angola may divide opinion, it certainly satisfied the Instagram lovers who found it to be an ideal photo opportunity. So many are eager to pose infront of the edifice standing in the centre of the Somerset House courtyard that a permanent security presence has to prevent visitors walking across the creation for the perfect picture.
Touria El GLaoui, Founding Director of 1-54, when introducing this year’s spectacular event, commented: “Last year 1-54 welcomed over 18000 people to Somerset House and has helped to build a growing interest in contemporary African Art.” For the seventh edition in London, it was noted that the event would be dedicated to the Nigerian curator Bisi Silva (1962 to 2019), founder of the Centre for Contemporary Art in Lagos.
While huge attention went to the first UK solo exhibition by Mary Sibande, one of South Africa’s most prominent contemporary artists, a huge number of emerging artists provide provocative, reflective, amusing and challenging pieces using a wide variety of styles. Portraiture appears to be especially strong in this year’s show. Prinston Nnanna displays a striking series of beautiful charcoal portraits on hand-toned paper executed with huge skill. It is well worth spending time to examine the detail that Prinston’s skilled hand has achieved in the fine head portraits chosen for this important fair.
Equally noteworthy are the imposing portraits produced using acrylic on canvas by Tyna Adebowale. The artists, who was born in Nigeria’s Edo State but now spends some of her time in the Netherlands as artist-in-residence at Rijksakademie van Beeldenede Kunsten (Amsterdam), really demonstrated her skill and intriguing style in the large pieces on show.
Alexis Peskine again offers stunning signature works consisting of large-scale portraits in mixed media. The technique of hammering gold-leafed nails of different gauge (with huge precision) into wood stained with coffee and mud creates eye-catching portaits, most notably the work depicting a young male called Deux Adüna 2019. The innovation and impressive execution of these pieces continues to fascinate and impress even after the artist’s work becomes familiar.
Beadwork features in a number of works on display but especially impressive was the work of Qaqambile Bead Studio displayed by Nando’s in partnership with Spier Arts Trust. Qaqambile Bead Studio is a South African fine art enterprise that collaborates with professional artists to translate brushstrokes into panels of thousands of beads. The results are colourful and remarkably detailed panels that are fabulously constructed and hopefully much more of their work will come to Europe in the future. The three dynamic female artists and creative entrepreneurs really deserve to be commended for their truly joyful pieces. Nando’s was exhibiting and selling works from southern African artists who have featured in their own corporate collection. The selected artists have also participated in various career development programmes operated by the Spier Arts Trust.
Finally Jack Bell Gallery deserves praise for offering a really exciting and eclectic mix of work from Aboudia, Ajarb Bernard Ategwa, Goncalo Mabunda, Jean-David Nkot and Boris Nzebo. The latter, whose paintings reflect on the surroundings of Douala, Cameroon, offers a strong colour palette to create memorable pieces that are apparently evocative of the murals and graffiti found in the suburbs of his home city.
In the foreword to this year’s catalogue, Touria El Glaoui wrote: “We are finally bearing witness to artists from the continent receiving the attention they have long deserved…It is a compelling time to be in the throws of all this activity, both on the continent and here in London.” Certainly the artists displaying their diverse works at this event represent the vanguard of the artistic energy of the African continent and its dynamic diaspora.
Top image: Deux Adüna 2019 by Alexis Peskine
Public opening hours:
Friday 4 October 11 to 7pm
Saturday 5 October 11 to 7pm
Sunday 6 October 11 to 6pm
