1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair New York 2017
With semiannual editions in London and New York, 1:54 is the leading international art fair dedicated to contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora. Drawing reference to the fifty-four countries that constitute Africa, 1:54 is a sustainable and dynamic platform that is engaged in broadening contemporary dialogue and exchange in relation to the continent. The third edition of the fair showcases 19 exhibitors and presents over 60 African and African diaspora artists at Brooklyn’s Pioneer Works.
I recommend making the trek to Red Hook this weekend. The fair presents work by artists who are not afraid to challenge the viewer. Works show explorations of current themes such as colonialism, post-colonialism, the black body, immigration, queer identity and violence, gender, oral tradition and memory, feminism and corporate re-colonization’s effect on people and the environment.
Below are the gallery booths and works that stood out from the crowd:
David Krut Projects
B09
http://davidkrut.com
Aïda Muluneh (Ethiopia) uses photography to examine themes of identity, memory, and intimacy.
AIDA MULUNEH
All in one
2016
Digital Photograph
31 1/2 × 31 1/2 in (80 × 80 cm)
Courtesy David Krut Projects
AIDA MULUNEH
Memories in Development (Part Two)
2017
Digital Photograph
31 1/2 × 31 1/2 in (80 × 80 cm)
Courtesy David Krut Projects
MAGNIN-A
B03
http://www.magnin-a.com
JP Mika’s (Democratic Republic of Congo) paintings pivot on narrative scenes: vivid menageries depicting well-dressed public figures and anthropomorphic animals in an acerbic critique of political systems and disingenuous agendas.
JP Mika
Beauté Scooter
2016
Acrylic and oil on fabric
59 x 47 in
Signed and dated
© JP Mika
Courtesy galerie MAGNIN-A, Paris
Omar Victor Diop (Senegal) formalizes intelligent ‘re-castings’ of subjects with references to art historical figures, popular culture, and cult cinema. The works below are named after historical figures who have become symbols of social justice. Aline Sitoe Diatta, a market woman who became a leader of a tax resistance movement during World War II, died in prison in 1944. Trayvon Martin was shot dead in the street in 2012 by a neighborhood watch volunteer.
Omar Victor Diop
Aline Sitoe Diatta
1944, 2017
Liberty
Inkjet print on Hahnemühle paper
31.4 x 49.9 inc
Edition of 5 ex + 1 AP
Signed, titled and numbered
© Omar Victor Diop
Courtesy galerie MAGNIN-A, Paris
Omar Victor Diop
Trayvon Martin
2012, 2017
Liberty
Inkjet print on Hahnemühle paper
31.4 x 49.9 inc
Edition of 5 ex + 1 AP
Signed, titled and numbered
© Omar Victor Diop
Courtesy galerie MAGNIN-A, Paris
Dimitri Fagbohoun (Benin) creates work that addresses his transcultural background and history, straddling geographical and artistic boundaries, inquiring into themes of memory, politics, faith, and philosophy.
Dimitri Fagbohoun
3D AEF
2012
Courtesy Officine dell’Immagine
Marcia Kure’s (Nigeria) deploys techniques of appropriation and photo collage, navigating a range of material – normative fashion aesthetics, classic juvenile literature, African masks, and children toys – to reimagine new subjectivities and modes of being.
Marcia Kure
MARCIA KURE
Of Saints and Vagabonds. The Series- Potus
2017
Collage , 23.75 Karat Gold on Arches Natural White, Hot Press, Watercolor paper 300lb
22 x 30in
56 x 76cm
Courtesy Officine dell’Immagine
Maurice Mbikayi (Democratic Republic of Congo) unpacks ideas around contemporary technology. His work focuses on the impact of electronic waste on African populations. Technological advancement is weighed up against its detriment to populations, landscapes, and economies. Mbikayi collects what he refers to as “remnants” – discarded computer parts and detritus – incorporating them into his collages, drawings, sculptures, and performances.
Maurice Mbikayi
Meek
2016
Courtesy Officine dell’Immagine
ROOM Gallery & Projects
B08
http://roomgallery.co.za
Sikhumbuzo Makandula (South Africa) uses photography, video, and performance to explore how space and architecture engage with memory, post-colonial identity, and belonging – particularly in the context of the nation-state.
Sikhumbuzo Makhundula
Dictator VI
Inkjet on Epson Giclee paper
42 x 56cm
Ubuzwe I, (Featuring graffiti work by Buntu Fihla)
2016
Inkjet on Epson Ultrasmooth
150 x 200 cm
Rosenfeld Porcini
B05
http://rosenfeldporcini.com
Ndidi Emefiele’s (UK) work engages with the notion of gender as a social construct. She adopts a critical approach to societal constructions of identity, dissecting clothing, postural language, and behavioral norms. Targeting popular imagery, Emefiele unpicks representations of masculinity and femininity as binary categories – arguing for co-occupancy of both genders in the body. These images form the basis for her characters, whose body language and dress embody a repertoire of identity notations prevalent in Nigeria – here deconstructed via Emefiele’s lens.
Ndidi Emefiele
Space Lunch
2016
Courtesy Rosenfeld Porcini
Ndidi Emefiele
Sunday Bubbles 3
2017
Courtesy Rosenfeld Porcini
(S)ITOR / Sitor Senghor
B19
http://www.sitorsenghor.com
Nu Barreto (Guinea-Bissau) uses a combination of drawing, found objects, photography, collage, and video to formulate his ideas. In recent years, his leitmotif has been a searing condemnation of sociopolitical oppressions, particularly those with repercussions for African citizens.
Nu Barreto
Desunited States of Africa (DSA)
2010
Acrylic on canvas, amulets, book, bottles, various objects
Format : H380 cm x L600 cm
Courtesy (S)ITOR
Ernest Düku (Côte d’Ivoire) incorporates traditional Akan signs, brought into dialogue with Egyptian, Ethiopian, Caribbean, Christian, and Islamic symbolism to achieve rhythmic and nuanced results. Dükü’s approach to divine matters is largely through metaphor and oral histories. As a comment on the role of language in building African histories, he explores images and stories inflected by their modes of telling and transmission.
Ernest Dükü
Ernest Dükü
‘Ô bee 9 Afrodisiaque
Antoine Tempé (France) is a Dakar-based photographer primarily interested in documenting aspects of contemporary culture on a rapidly changing African continent. Over the years, Tempé has amassed a substantial collection of portraits of artists, performers, dancers, cultural figures and intellectuals.
Omar Victor Diop
Dakar
2012
Pigment prints on Hahnemühle Fine Art Paper
Courtesy (S)ITOR
Antoine Tempe
Adama Paris
2103
Pigment prints on Hahnemühle Fine Art Paper
Courtesy (S)ITOR
Vigo Gallery
B12
http://vigogallery.com
Derrick Adams (US) represents New York this year. Multimedia and performative works host his dissections of popular culture, consumerism, sitcom nostalgia, and 90s infomercials. Visitors will have another chance to see the Float paintings that were a hit at Art Basel Miami 2016.
Derrick Adam
Float 35 (unicorn and watermelon)
2017
Acrylic and fabric on paper
63.5 x 63.5 cm
25 x 25 inches
Courtesy Vigo Gallery
Derrick Adams
Float 34 (black swan)
2017
Acrylic and fabric on paper
63.5 x 63.5 cm
25 x 25 inches
Courtesy Vigo Gallery
Derrick Adams
Fabrication Station 11
2016
Fabric wall sculpture
274.3 x 182.9 cm
108 x 72 1/8 inches
Courtesy Vigo Gallery
VOICE Gallery
B02
http://www.voicegallery.net
Laila Alaoui (Morocco) was a French-Moroccan photographer and video artist, whose life was cut tragically short in 2016 whilst working on a photographic assignment for a women’s rights campaign called My Body My Rights for Amnesty International. Her work explored the construction of identity and cultural heterogeneity, often through the prism of migration.
Leila Alaoui
NO Pasara
2008
c-print
VOICE Gallery
Leila Alaoui
NO Pasara
2008
c-print
VOICE Gallery
