1-54 New York Returns In May: Special Projects

When 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair returns to New York in May 2025, from the 8th to the 11th, it brings with it a slew of Special Projects that reaffirm the fair’s commitment to elevating diverse African and diasporic voices. These projects offer more than visual appeal—they embody and unfold conversations around heritage, materiality, and identity.

An abstract painting of a hand with petals; with a blue sky at the top half of the background and a pink hue at the bottom half background. — A Deborah Segun Piece Inspired by the *SOLEIL D’IKOSIM* (Image Courtesy of Thomas Levy).

1. A Scented Canvas: INFINIMENT COTY PARIS

At the intersection of haute parfumerie and contemporary art, INFINIMENT COTY PARIS returns with an immersive olfactive-artistic installation. The brand’s philosophy—“art gives soul to luxury”—takes tangible form through their recyclable, stackable perfume bottles, designed as modular art objects. At each 1-54 edition, new artworks created from bottles are revealed in avant-première, with the upcoming fair in New York City set to spotlight a special collaboration between INFINIMENT COTY PARIS and Deborah Segun. Following their first partnership in October 2023 at 1-54 London, where Segun unveiled a piece inspired by SOLEIL D’IKOSIM, the artist now introduces a new creation to celebrate the Infinite Spring Garden as a tribute to the Dawn and Day fragrances. This tribute translates the essence of the collection into a unique organic pattern, blending visual art and scent into a harmonious landscape.

Stacks of blue-wrapped items arranged in a warehouse setting, with the text '100% Black Cotton' displayed prominently on the screen. — 100% Black Cotton Bales of Black-Owned Cotton Harvested from a Farm Operating Since 1877 in Alabama, Symbolizing Resilience and Heritage in Textile Production (Image Courtesy of Bridgeforth).

2. Textiles as Testimony: Art Comes First

With “Textile Language,” the global fashion collective Art Comes First (ACF) unravels the profound histories encoded in African cloth. Rooted in the theme of Black Cotton, their installation charts a narrative arc from Meroë’s ancient cotton fields to the enduring legacy of an 1877 Black-owned cotton farm in Alabama. Featuring motifs like the Afro comb, ACF weaves identity, resistance, and heritage into a tactile experience that captures the artistic resonance of fashion.

A woman sitting on a stool, holding magazine issues of Forgotten Lands. She wears a black-and-white floral cotton beanie, a black vest over a white singlet, and slacks. — An Editorial Picture for *Forgotten L*ands, New York (Image Courtesy of Adam Kenner).

3. Quiet Power: FORGOTTEN LANDS

Known for amplifying Caribbean diasporic voices, FORGOTTEN LANDS brings a new dimension to the fair with its Afro-Caribbean Resource Library. Nestled in a lounge space, this curated collection of books, from poetry to political discourse, provides a contemplative escape from the fair’s visual stimulation. It also bridges literary and artistic practices, underlining the cultural continuum between the Caribbean and broader African diasporas.

A recreation of the United States of America's flag with pennies. — *“Glory* (2025)” by Yaw Owusu (Image Courtesy of the Artist & Gallery 1957).

4. Reimagining Freedom: Yaw Owusu

In a striking installation presented by Gallery 1957, Ghanaian artist Yaw Owusu transforms U.S. pennies into a meditation on liberty and sovereign symbolism. Using the American flag as his canvas, Owusu interrogates evolving meanings of freedom and its entanglement with socio-economic constructs. The work’s minimalism belies its layered critique—a reminder of how material and metaphor intertwine in contemporary African art.

An art installation featuring strands of gold-coloured Raphia material draping from a white wall, creating a tactile, flowing border in a gallery space. — “*Figures of Miracle* (2025)” by Joël Andrianomearisoa (Image Courtesy of the Artist, Almine Rech and Dan Bradica).

5. Material Memory: Joël Andrianomearisoa

Represented by Almine Rech, Madagascan artist Joël Andrianomearisoa introduces FIGURES OF MIRACLE, an evocative installation crafted from Raphia. This fiber, steeped in cultural memory and labour, becomes a vessel for storytelling, emotion, and ancestral echoes. With gestures that range from weaving to raising a fist, the piece reflects on how the hand serves as both a tool and symbol of heritage.

Hatching-style drawing of a woman in a blue dress and white apron, holding a large paper with a Chanel perfume image and carrying a stick with a tied cloth over her shoulder. — “*Leisurely Reading Sophie With Her Newspaper* (2024)” By Mary *Sibande* (Image Courtesy Of The Artist).

6. Celebrating Collaboration: Kalashnikovv x David Krut Projects

In a celebration of artistic exchange, Kalashnikovv Gallery and David Krut Projects spotlight South African printmakers and visual artists who have worked alongside William Kentridge in Johannesburg. This presentation underscores a 25-year legacy of nurturing talent, while also championing emerging artists pushing the boundaries of contemporary South African art.

The 1-54 New York 2025’s Special Projects are far from peripheral additions —they’re essential to understanding the fair’s depth and reach. From perfume bottles reimagined as sculpture to textiles steeped in resistance, each project invites visitors to engage with African and diasporic narratives in new, tactile, and thought-provoking ways.