There has been a growing debate over the restitution of African art to their countries of origin. This debate has been fueled by a desire to address the legacy of colonialism, neocolonialism and the theft of cultural heritage from Africa. However, the issue is complex and raises a…
Visual artists from Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, have had some impact in the state of the arts in Africa and abroad. Below are some of the artists to look out for from Mauritania and the work they have done in Africa and the diaspora. Oumar…
Image courtesy of the artist Central to Zohra Opoku’s practice is her use of textiles to explore themes of identity, memory, and migration. Her textile-based installations and sculptures offer a richly layered visual experience that highlights the complex cultural connections between Africa and Europe, as well as the…
Mr. Eazi, a global popstar from Nigeria known for songs like “Skin Tight,” “Bankulize,” and “Leg Over,” revealed in June of last year that he will be working with prominent African visual artists for his upcoming debut album. Mr. Eazi’s artistic project, in which he makes visual artwork…
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…
Syowia Kyambi, a Kenyan multimedia artist currently residing in Germany, uses her work to highlight how we can infiltrate ethnographic museums and use archival materials to respond to specific sites and spaces without behaving like colonizers. To answer this question, she created a character named Kapsale, a trickster,…
Addis Fine Art, a contemporary art gallery dedicated to incubating emerging talent, facilitating critical engagement and encouraging the growth and development of the art scene on the continent has kicked off the new year by presenting the first European solo exhibition of Ethiopian artist Dawit Adnew. The exhibition…
Purchasing merchandise from the store is one thing, and getting your hands on the limited editions from your favorite artist like Kehinde Wiley is another. Kehinde Wiley’s store has ever been growing with items wearing his invaluable painting either from an exhibition or another colossal event. These can…
In January 2023, the Yale MacMillan Center’s Council on African Studies sponsored research trips to South Africa for two Ph.D. candidates, Alex Fialho and Alexandra “Aly” Thomas, in the Departments of the History of Art and African American Studies at Yale. Alex Fialho and Alexandra “Aly” Thomas in…