When you hear the phrase “Contemporary African Art” what comes to mind? A splash of bold colors? Something political? Maybe a sculptural piece made from old bottle caps? If you’re a bit unsure, you’re not alone. The term “contemporary” can feel a little abstract—especially when it’s paired with something as…
STEVENSON presents Ukwanda kwaliwa ngumthakathi, Mawande Ka Zenzile’s 10th solo exhibition with the gallery and Lusochroma, a solo exhibition by Guy Tillim. This is what Zenzile had to say, “To celebrate this milestone in my art career, I have titled this exhibition Ukwanda kwaliwa ngumthakathi. This isiXhosa phrase translates to…
Richie Madyira presents Kuseri Kwezviso Zvakanaka, a solo exhibition currently showing at artHARARE in Cape Town. This exhibition opened in April 2025 and finds itself in remarkable conversation with the global cultural phenomenon of the 2025 Met Gala. While the Met Gala dazzled in New York with its…
South African photographer Lindokuhle Sobekwa has been awarded the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2025. The announcement was made at The Photographers’ Gallery in London on the 15th of May 2025. The prize, which amounts to £30,000, is awarded to a living artist whose work has influenced international…
The Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art (YSMA) in Nigeria and the Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) in the U.S. have formed a transformative partnership to promote Modern and Contemporary African Art and enhance institutional capacity through knowledge exchange. Executives from both museums pictured following the signing of the…
South African-born artist Marlene Dumas has made history again. Her 1997 painting Miss January sold for $13.6 million at Christie’s in New York, setting a new record for the most expensive work by a living female artist. Miss January by Marlene Dumas fetched $13.6 million under the hammer…
The devastating loss of Madame Koyo Kouoh, a cultural pioneer from, Cameroon, continues to shake the art world today. She was the director of Zeitz MOCAA in South Africa and appointed curator for the 2026 Venice Biennale—a prestigious role, made all the more significant by her identity as an African woman. Both…
Strauss & Co, Africa’s premier auction house, will feature Vladimir Tretchikoff’s iconic Lady from the Orient as the centerpiece of its flagship live sale on Tuesday, 27 May 2025, in Johannesburg. Vladimir Tretchikoff’s iconic Lady from the Orient (Image credits: Tretchikoff) This masterpiece is expected to fetch between…
Southern Guild presents Faces and Phases 19 by Zanele Muholi as well as In Us is Heaven, a group exhibition by African and North American artists, both at the gallery’s Los Angeles space. Faces and Phases 19 celebrates 19 years of Zanele Muholi’s seminal photographic project documenting the…
Art stands as a resounding echo of cultural narratives, memory, and meaning—carrying the weight of centuries shaped by indigenous knowledge systems, cosmologies, oral traditions, and lived experiences. For many African artists today, engaging with these narratives is not just an act of reflection but one of active construction.…
THK Gallery and Trevor Stuurman present Your Beauty Is Our Concern, an exhibition concerned with the act of making oneself beautiful – a state of being sometimes required for one to claim their place in society. Beauty and glamour — often two sides of the same coin —…
WHATIFTHEWORLD presents The Unspoken Landscape, a group exhibition featuring works by nine Southern African artists spanning three generations: Mia Chaplin, Wezile Harmans, Dale Lawrence, Strauss Louw, Maja Marx, Michele Mathison, Ben Orkin, Chris Soal, Inga Somdyala and Pierre Vermeulen. This exhibition brings together artists whose work reveals a profound sensitivity to material and process. As a gallery based in…
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…
Entries are now officially open for the 2025 Sasol New Signatures Visual Arts Competition, South Africa’s leading platform for emerging visual artists. Now in its 35th year of Sasol’s sponsorship, Sasol New Signatures remains a prestigious platform for emerging artists to break into the professional art world. Submission Guidelines…
Goodman Gallery presents Ravelle Pillay’s American debut with Sanctum (The Light and the Shade), the artist’s first solo exhibition at the gallery’s New York location. The exhibition features a new series of paintings that respond to Pillay’s 2024 trip to Réunion Island, offering a layered exploration of the island’s…
Cassi Namoda to transform the iconic floor-to-ceiling windows of the Sunley Gallery overlooking Margate’s beaches and the North Sea at Turner Contemporary. Marking Namoda’s first institutional project in Europe, this new commission inaugurates Turner Contemporary’s annual programme inviting artists to engage with the gallery’s distinctive architecture and coastal…
Kevin Young has reportedly stepped down as the head of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) amid a politically charged atmosphere surrounding the institution. His departure follows increasing tensions related to ongoing political attacks. Kevin Young outside the Smithsonian National Museum of African…
Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) has announced the addition of nine prominent figures to its Global Council. Zeitz MOCAA (Image credits: Iwan Baan) The new appointees represent a dynamic cross-section of international leaders in the arts, philanthropy, and business: Dr. Anita Blanchard, Dave Ross, Holly…
Yancey Richardson presents Sawubona, an exhibition bringing together work from five different series made between 2002–2013 by South African visual artist and activist Zanele Muholi. Their fifth exhibition with the gallery, Sawubona reveals both the historical depth and visual complexity of Muholi’s overarching project of empowering the Black LGBTQIA+ community in…
The Rele Arts Foundation has opened applications for the 2026 edition of its Young Contemporaries program, running from April 4 to May 2, 2025. Now in its ninth year, this program helps early-career African artists grow through mentorship, virtual bootcamps, residencies, and curated exhibitions. Young Contemporaries (Image credit:…