The 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair is a global event series dedicated to celebrating African contemporary art while embracing different perspectives and interpretations of the diasporic experience. The annual fair takes place across three continents; in London, New York and Marrakech. Excitingly, the details of the 2023 New York edition has been announced and it will be held from Thursday May 18 to Sunday May 21, 2023 at Malt House in the Manhattanville Factory District at 439 W 127th Street. The show is expected to be an immersive and captivating display of Contemporary African Art. Visitors can also enjoy an extended experience of the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair online from 18 – 31 May thanks to its long-standing partnership with Artsy.
This year’s New York edition boasts an impressive lineup of 26 galleries from different countries across Africa, Europe and the U.S. all of which will be showcasing the works of over 80 talented artists from Africa and its diaspora. More than half of the participating galleries will be making their debut at 1-54 New York and over a third of them maintain a physical presence in Africa. Among the newcomers to 1-54 New York are notable African galleries such as DADA Gallery (Lagos, Nigeria & London, United Kingdom), kó (Lagos, Nigeria), LouiSimone Guirandou Gallery (Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire), and Wunika Mukan Gallery (Lagos, Nigeria). A few other notable African galleries to look forward to include; Galerie Atiss Dakar (Dakar, Senegal), Galerie Cécile Fakhoury (Paris, France, Dakar, Senegal and Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire), Retro Africa (Abuja, Nigeria), THK Gallery (Cape Town, South Africa & Cologne, Germany).
Within this exciting lineup, there are several African artists to look out for at 1-54 New York, including Adébayo Bolaji, a British-Nigerian multidisciplinary artist whose works will be presented by kó, Mali-born Amadou Sanogo, Lulama Wolf, Larry Amponsah, Fidelis Joseph, and Mobalaji Ogunrosoye. Other notable artists include Kaloki Nyamai, Chinaedu Nwadibia, Themba Khumalo.
