There are galleries in the diaspora invested in the promotion of art from African artists. Through programming, acquisitions, and exhibitions, a growing number of art institutions are addressing historical gaps and erasures in the representation of Africa and its diasporas. Here is a list of galleries and museums in the diaspora that have shown dedication to exhibiting works by modern and contemporary African and African diasporic artists.
Mariane Ibrahim-Lenhardt, a Somali-French art dealer who specializes in showing contemporary artists of African heritage, runs Mariane Ibrahim Gallery, a contemporary art gallery with locations in Paris, Chicago, and Mexico. The gallery was founded to assist artists from underrepresented regions including Africa and the Middle East who work in various media. In addition to its exhibition calendar, the gallery exhibits at art fairs across the world with acclaimed and award-winning presentations. In the white spaces of the curatorial world, Ibrahim’s mission is to represent contemporary art from Africa and the African diaspora. Zohra Opoku, Peter Uka, Amoako Boafo, Mwangi Hutter, Ian Mwesiga, Ayana V. Jackson, and Ruby Onyinyechi Amanze are a few of the African artists on their roster.
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Founded in Johannesburg, South Africa by Linda Givon in 1966, the Goodman Gallery is a contemporary art gallery that represents artists whose work confronts outdated power structures and drives social change. Since Liza Essers acquired the gallery in 2008, it has added more than 30 international artists to its portfolio, with a focus on women from Africa and the diaspora. In addition to Johannesburg, the worldwide gallery has locations in Cape Town and London. The gallery represents William Kentridge, Shirin Neshat, Ghada Amer, David Goldblatt, Alfredo Jaar, Grada Kilomba, Kapwani Kiwanga, Shirin Neshat, Ernesto Neto, Tabita Rezaire, Yinka Shonibare CBE, Mikhael Subotzky, and Hank Willis Thomas.
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Located in Accra, Ghana, Gallery 1957 is a contemporary art gallery focused on showcasing and promoting contemporary African art on the global stage. Founded in 2016 by Marwan Zakhem, Gallery 1957 has expanded within and outside Accra to London. Gallery 1957 is also known for its global partnerships and artist residency programme, which includes fairs, talks, off-site projects, and site-specific installations commissions.
The artists represented by Gallery 1957 include Juwon Aderemi, Annan Affotey, Cornelius Annor, Gideon Appah, Aplerh-Doku Borlabi, Kwesi Botchway, Lord Ohene, Joana Choumali, Gerald Chukwuma, Serge Attukwei Clottey, Tiffanie Delune, Godfried Donkor, Salah Elmur, Modupeola Fadugba, Isshaq Ismail, Abdoulaye Konate, Nabeeha Mohamed, Kaloki Nyamai, Joshua Oheneba-Takyi, Peter Ojingiri, Yaw Owusu, Afia Prempeh, Collin Sekajugo, Eric Adjei Tawiah and Arthur Timothy, among others.
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Located in Barcelona and London, the Out of Africa Gallery was founded in 2011 by Miquel Torres to champion contemporary African art. Their mission is to provide a platform for artists to express their respective narratives, values and experiences through their artistic prowess and to support their practice. The gallery hosts exhibitions that highlight artists’ freedom of expression and originality eight times annually. Represented artists are Mederic Turay, Emeka Udemba, Moses Zibor, Prince Galla Gnohité, Megan Gabrielle Harris, Francis Mampuya, Onyis Martin, Rewa, Rémy Samuz, Patrick Tagoe-Turkson, David Thuku, Marion Boehm, Boukaré Bonkoungou, Bruce Clarke, Matthew Eguavoen, Evans Mbugua, Francklin Mbungu, Méné, Ronald Mugabe, Daniel Onguene, Larry Otoo, Moustapha Baidi Oumarou, Olivia Mae Pendergast, Aboudia, Anjel (Boris Anje), Bob-Nosa, Bodo Fils Bbm, Abdias Ngateu, Oliver Okolo, Opeyemi Matthew Olukotun, and Oluwole Omofemi.
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THK Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in Cape Town, South Africa, with an experimental space in Cologne, Germany. The gallery was started in 2018 by German photographer and collector Frank Schönau. The mission of the gallery was to contribute the diverse ways of developing contemporary visual art forms and alternative perspectives to the contemporary art discourse. The gallery’s program focuses on contemporary art that addresses sociopolitical and cultural themes while delving into the complexity of identity, ethnicity, and history. Talut Kareem, Nonzuzo Gxekwa, Lulama Wolf, Nyasha Marovatsanga, Abdus Salaam, Tashinga Majiri, Pardon Mapondera, Johno Mellish, Manyatsa Monyamane, and Lerato Motaung are among the artists on their list.
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