1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, the leading international art fair dedicated to contemporary art from Africa and the African diaspora, announced its return to New York with fresh African galleries. The newcomers are; Dada Gallery, kó, LouiSimone Guirandou Gallery and Wunika Mukan Gallery.
Set to take place from 18 – 21 May 2023, this year’s New York edition features a total of 26 galleries hailing from across Africa, Europe and the U.S.—from Nevlunghavn to Cape Town and Los Angeles to Lagos – presenting the work of over 80 artists from Africa and its diaspora.
Dada Gallery
Dada gallery champions artists whose practice reflects the times and develops new ways in which art can speak truth to power. the gallery has earned a reputation for introducing the most exciting emerging artists from africa and its diaspora to international audiences. Dada gallery is committed to promoting artists exploring wide ranging themes such as youth, identity, sexuality, cultural and socio-economic issues. the gallery was founded in 2015 as an online journal that merged politics and art. it has since evolved and shifted its focus to exploring innovative and immersive ways to invite audiences to engage with its roster of young vibrant artists.
Dada gallery presents exhibitions in its physical spaces in london and lagos while continuing to maintain a strong digital presence with its online exhibitions.
Kó
Kó is an art space based in lagos, nigeria, that is dedicated to promoting modern and contemporary art. Kó has a dual focus in championing Nigeria’s leading artists from the modern period and celebrating emerging and established contemporary artists across Africa and the Diaspora.
Kó was launched by Kavita Chellaram, an art collector and founder of Arthouse Contemporary in Lagos, Nigeria. She has been a major force in developing the modern and contemporary art market in Nigeria. Her exhibitions and projects over the years have contributed to the global recognition of numerous modern African masters. In 2015, Chellaram founded the Arthouse Foundation, a non-profit artist residency programme in Lagos which has organised over thirty artist residencies.
LouiSimone Guirandou Gallery
LouiSimone Guirandou Gallery is a place of escape and dreams. Offering artistic events marked by their aesthetics and quality, it is the unavoidable place of artistic emulation.
Travel shared with a growing family of artists, partners and friends, LouiSimone Guirandou Gallery is a vehicle for aesthetics, debates and transformations, for the promotion of artists and new techniques and meeting with an aesthetic public of all ages, and cultures constituting the vibrating megalopolis that is Abidjan. It is a question of spreading the current creation, of being on the side of the creators of a very fertile incubator of artists in order to make them known and to sensitize a new generation of collectors.
Each exhibition is a stimulating and rewarding experience, driven by the excitement of risk-taking and artistic choices. It is a rare opportunity to interact with the creators, to know each personality and sensitivity, but also to take advantage of the different views, insights and perspectives of a cosmopolitan audience.
Contemporary Art is a reflection of our society and raises a lot of questions. LouiSimone Guirandou Gallery, is in constant dialogue with the creators and their public participates in setting the spirits in motion and gives everyone the opportunity to revise their certainties.
Wunika Mukan Gallery
Based in Lagos, Nigeria, Wunika Mukan Gallery champions bright emerging talent in contemporary art. Founded in 2020 the gallery is uniquely positioned to support its roster of artists to grow into the next stage of their careers. The gallery’s curatorial practice draws from virtual platforms to identify and select its artists, bridging the gap of accessibility for international and local artists and audiences.
Offering exciting opportunities to exhibit and engage critically in global discourse, Wunika Mukan Gallery is dedicated to expanding artist visibility and providing space for innovation, exploration and immersive exchange.
