African artists have converged at this year’s 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London to showcase the multiplicity and uniqueness of contemporary African art and cultural production.
The event will kick off from October 6th to October 9th, offering top African contemporary artists an international platform to exhibit their best works and learn from their peers.
Among the interesting creations exhibited at the event is the army of Black statues representing the invisible “Man and Masque of Blackness” by the London-based artist Zak Ove.
Apart from exhibiting their artwork, the artists will engage in other key activities, including forum discussions, screenings, and lectures.
“Forum London 2016 will explore the generative slippages between contemporary art, photography, fashion, object and furniture design, architecture and urbanism,” 1:54, the organizers of the art fair, writes on their website.
The participating artists and exhibitors are also set to discuss the proliferation of contemporary channels and modes of distribution of their work – from the Internet to the various self-organizing strategies afforded by the digital platform.
“This will aim at addressing how resources themselves are being repurposed and how artists and designers are responding to these shifts within ‘material’ classifications,” 1:54 adds.
Selected African Artists
The 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair is an annual event that brings together modern artists from 54 nations that form the African continent, which is where the Title “1:54” was drawn from.
Here are the four selected African artists exhibiting at this year’s 1:54 art fair:
James Barnor (Ghana)
Portrait done by Ghanaian photographer James Barnor. 1:54
James Barnor is a celebrated Ghanaian photographer whose portraits depict the self-assurance and individualistic fashion trends that are dominating both London and Accra. His work has been exhibited globally, with his most recent one being the massive touring exhibition “Ever Young” with Autograph ABP in the U.K. and U.S.A.
Moffat Takadiwa (Zimbabwe)
A piece of jewelry created by Moffat Takadiwa. ‘Irenebrination’
Moffat Takadiwa is known to design large-scale sculptures from basic discarded materials, such as computer waste, spray bottles, aerosol cans, and toothpaste tubes. The 36-year-old artist has created some of the most impressive and evocative organic jewels. And he has had a chance to exhibit his work internationally, including locations such as New York, London, Amsterdam, and Cape Town.
Mohau Modisakeng (South Africa)
Portrait created by Mohau Modisakeng. 1:54
Mohau Modisakeng is a 30-year-old South African visual artist known to create some intense, meditative self-portraitures using language of dreams and visions to communicate a sense of suppressed trauma. Although he is a trained sculptor, Modisakeng prefers to use performance, video, and photography to create his haunting narratives.
Celestino Mudaulane (Mozambique)
A painting by Celestino Mudaulane. 1:54
Celestino Mudaulane was born in 1972 in Maputo, Mozambique, and is a founding member of the Contemporary Art Movement in Maputo. He also teaches art, drawing, and visual education at Institute Nilia. The elaborate fine artist is a two-time recipient of the Ceramics Award at the Biennial TDM (2003 and 2005).
