1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair is thrilled to announce the return of 1-54 New York, from the 1st until the 4th of May 2024, its largest edition to date. In its 10th year, this edition will see 1-54 widen its dilating imprint upon the city by relocating to Chelsea, in the heart of Manhattan, New York where it will be held at the Starrett-Lehigh Building, at 255 11th Avenue. For nearly a century, the building has stood as a central point on Manhattan’s west side, acting as both a professional and cultural focal point across fashion, entertainment, media, architecture and design in Chelsea, neighbouring vibrant hubs such as the Hudson Yards.
This year will bring together 30+ exhibitors presenting the work of over 70 artists from the continent and its diaspora. This year’s fair represents a diverse selection of galleries from Lagos and Lausanne to Miami and London, including eight 1-54 participants making their debut at the fair. This expansion underscores the fair’s commitment to showcasing the richness and diversity of contemporary African art on a global stage.
Image courtesy of THK Gallery
African artists showcasing at this year’s 1-54 Contemporary Art Fair include Lulama Wolf, Laetitia Ky, Trevor Stuurmaan, Zanale Muholi, and Zana Masombuka. Wolf’s work interrogates the pre-colonial African experience in the contemporary context through the use of smearing, scraping, and deep pigment techniques which are inspired by practices used predominantly by African women in vernacular architecture projects to decorate traditional African homes. Her mediums are acrylic and sand on canvas. For this art fair, she’ll be showcasing works such as her 2024 piece titled ‘Vigourous Improvisation’. Wolf is represented by THK Gallery.
Ky is an artist and activist who works on the metamorphoses of bodies and definitions of the contemporary human condition. Her paintings and sculptures, created using her hair and utilising photography, celebrate the artist’s roots and are a powerful tool of communication designed to raise public awareness around issues of race, gender equality and social justice. Ky is represented by LIS10 Gallery.
Image courtesy of LIS10 Gallery
The fair will open for VIP on Wednesday the 1st of May at 14:00 – 19:00 and then on Thursday the 2nd of May at 11:00 – 19:00 while the public opening will take place on Friday the 3rd of May and Saturday the 4th of May at 11:00 – 19:00.
