Solidarity and shared optimism take centre stage at 1-54 fair – The Art Newspaper

Many eyes within the worldwide artwork world are on Nigeria this autumn, thanks partly to Tate Fashionable’s blockbuster Nigerian Modernism exhibition (till 10 Could 2026), and an explosion of exercise within the nation itself, together with the opening of the Museum of West African Artwork (MOWAA) in Benin Metropolis. The thrill of this second is being felt at this yr’s 1-54 artwork truthful, held in Somerset Home (till 19 October). “It actually means quite a bit to have MOWAA arriving,” says Sosa Omorogbe of the nomadic gallery, The 1897. The gallery is presenting works together with a sequence of watercolour work by the London-based Roisin Jones. “I by no means thought I’d see the day that my associates can be messaging me saying, ‘I’m coming to Benin for the weekend.’ It’s overwhelming.”

For Obida Obioha of O’DA gallery in Lagos, it is a chance to shine a lightweight on the richness of Nigeria’s modern artwork scene. “Nigerian Modernism is fantastic as a result of it might probably present the place it got here from, however we will present the place it’s at at present, which is extraordinarily modern and on the ball,” he says. The gallery is providing sculptural work by the Lagos-based painter Afeez Onakoya, in addition to works on wooden by the Londoner Paul Majek and acrylic items by Simon Richard Ojeaga from Edo State in Nigeria.

A broader perspective

Simply as notable on the truthful, nonetheless, are galleries championing the work of artists from outdoors of West Africa—whose gallery ecosystems are extra nascent. Danda Jaroljmek, the director of Circle Artwork Gallery in Nairobi, focuses on introducing under-represented artists from East Africa to the worldwide market. “It’s actually necessary as a result of I feel folks typically know far much less about artwork from this area,” she says. Circle’s sales space features a group of large-scale, impressionistic monoprints by the Ethiopian artist Tiemar Tegene, priced at $7,000 every—two of which had been reserved on the time of writing.

Sana Ginwalla of On a regular basis Lusaka Gallery debuted at 1-54 this yr. “I needed to current Zambia on a extra international stage,” she says. “As a result of a number of instances West Africa and South Africa are very current at worldwide festivals, which I feel is nice, however I additionally suppose it must speak in confidence to different international locations which even have a lot expertise”. She is displaying mid-century work by Alick Phiri, whose posed, private pictures (supplied at £300-£900 every) had been made at a time when the usage of cameras in Zambia was a “privilege”. They type a part of an set up celebrating the nation’s first pictures studio for Black purchasers, Lusaka’s Nice Artwork Studios, based within the Nineteen Fifties—and have already drawn institutional curiosity.

What is obvious amongst lots of the gallerists is a way of solidarity and shared optimism. “You can’t do issues alone,” says Olugbemiro Arinoso, the founder and director of the Lagos-based Affinity Artwork Gallery, which offered at the very least two works, together with a big cloth wall work by Samuel Nnorom for £22,500. “You possibly can see in our sales space, we don’t simply work with Nigerian artists—and it’s essential for us to have the ability to decide from one another, and to be taught from one another.”