Tag: contemporary African art
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Why Africa Still Inspires Ethan Cohen, the New York Gallerist Driven by Curiosity
He has been called one of the most influential art dealers in the world. But when you sit down with Ethan Cohen, the first thing you notice is not the reputation. It’s the energy. The questions he asks. The way he leans in when he talks about an artist he loves. The New York gallerist,…
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At Africa Basel’s Second Edition, High Stakes and a Raw New Rhythm
As the art world descends on Switzerland, the second edition of Africa Basel moves to a raw new venue at Klybeck 610, shifting the focus from mere visibility to long-term market viability.
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A Senegalese Curator Brings Light Through the Fissures at the Venice Biennale
In the hushed halls of the 17th-century Palazzo Donà dalle Rose, where the light filters through ancient windows onto Venetian floors, Mama Anne has quietly inserted an Afro-diasporic voice into one of the most prestigious stages in contemporary art. As the curator and driving force behind The Fissures of Light – Diaspora: Dissonances in F…
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In Assinie, a Luxury Hotel That Became an Open-Air Museum
About 80 kilometers east of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, along the Atlantic coastline, Assinie has long been known as a seaside retreat. But beyond its beaches and resorts, a different kind of landscape is quietly taking shape. For DakArtNews, this visit reveals a space where art extends far beyond exhibition. At Maison d’Akoula, monumental sculptures rise…
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Marie-Cécile Zinsou on Why Museums Matter in Africa — and Who They Are For
Over the past two decades, museums and cultural initiatives have begun to reshape the artistic landscape across Africa, redefining not only how art is produced and exhibited, but also how it is experienced locally. In Benin, few figures have played as central a role in this transformation as Marie-Cécile Zinsou. Since founding the Fondation Zinsou…
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Touria El Glaoui, Founder of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, on Building Beyond Visibility
As recent institutional research suggests that the African art market has “come of age,” with dedicated auction departments now integrated into broader contemporary sales, the conversation around African art has shifted from questions of visibility to those of structural integration. Founded in London in 2013 as a platform dedicated to contemporary art from Africa and…
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Against Hierarchy, Toward Community: How Esinam Damalie is rethinking curatorial practice in Africa
As contemporary African art gains unprecedented visibility, questions of curation—who frames the work, how it is mediated and for whom—have become increasingly urgent. In this interview with DakArtNews, Rosemary Esinam Damalie, a Ghanaian artist and curator, reflects on curation as a creative and educational practice rather than a neutral act of selection and writing. As…
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‘Painting Feels Like Prayer’ for Keemetaane’s Mystic Canvases
Born in Linguère, in northeastern Senegal, where the rhythms of rural life left no room for canvas or paint, Babacar Ndiaye grew up without an artistic tradition to guide him. His early career unfolded in Senegal’s tourism sector, , a role that first carried him abroad and honed his sense of cultural ambassadorship. Known as…
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A Swiss Foundation Elevates African Voices Through Artists and Scholars
In the heart of Basel, a city whose history is intertwined with Africa in ways both inspiring and troubling, the Fondation Oumou Dilly is quietly reshaping the conversation about who gets to produce knowledge — and whose stories get told. Named after Oumou, a healer and wise woman from early 20th-century Mali, the foundation champions…
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As AKAA Turns 10, Beauty Becomes the Compass for Sitor Senghor’s New Direction
His name is inseparable from African cultural history. As the grand-nephew of Léopold Sédar Senghor — poet, philosopher, and first president of Senegal — Sitor Senghor carries a legacy deeply tied to art and intercultural dialogue. Now, as he takes the helm of AKAA (Also Known As Africa), Paris’s leading fair dedicated to contemporary African…
Bridging Africa and The World Through Contemporary Art 