Let’s begin by dispensing quickly with the elephant in the room, sorry courtyard.
Slawn’s red London Double Decker bus aka the Transition project must be the most underwhelming exhibit to grace The Edmond J Safra Fountain Court of Somerset House in my four visits to the 1-54 fair.
The exhibit is described thus: “Through the synthesis of multicultural interclass influences, Slawn aims to push the canons of contemporary visual culture, exploring the evolving topics of human psychology, politics, race, and identity.”
A guest gobsmacked by the spectacle chuckled and allowed a muffled – “anyone can be an artist now.”
But then Slawn of the “The Three Yoruba Brothers,” fame is known more for provocation than artistic depth.
Yet sarcasm aside, as you walked through the fair, you were reminded why African art is on the ascent. African artists are producing works that stand out and make bold claims.
This year featured a rich mix of artists and galleries, both new to 1-54 and a lot of those making their returns. There was a diverse range of 160 artists and 60 exhibitors from across Africa, Brazil and beyond. There were the conventional, the zany and the envelope pushers but what seemed clear was that every iteration of 1-54 Art fair has become a cultural ⁶ referendum on contemporary African art and the outcome is always positive.
According to a release from Somerset House “This year’s London edition will host over 60 international exhibitors, representing 23 countries, with 21 newcomer galleries making their 1-54 London edition debuts. Newcomers to the fair include ADA contemporary art gallery (Accra, Ghana), Amasaka Gallery (Masaka, Uganda), Art Pantheon Gallery (Lagos, Nigeria), Cynthia Corbett Gallery (London), Galerie REVEL (Bordeaux, France), Galerie Voss (Düsseldorf, Germany), House of Beau (Rabat, Morocco), Le LAB (Cairo, Egypt), Pearl Lam Galleries (Hong Kong, China), Post Gallery (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia), The Melrose Gallery (Johannesburg, South Africa), among others.”
To focus on Nigeria; Affinity led by Olu and Tafeta with Ayo in the driving seat were returnees at this year’s edition and both managed to retain the spaces they occupied last year. Art Pantheon Gallery from Lagos had its maiden showing with Peju Alatise.
Tafeta’s exhibit had stand-out mixed media works by British Ghanaian artist and curator Enam Gbewonyo which were fashioned out, as usual, from nylon tights, etc.
There was also Marielle Plaisir whose Rhapsody for a Beloved World I and II featured eye-catching lenticular prints encased in light boxes.
Affinity returned with Damilola Onosowobo Marcus whose works have evolved into something decidedly contemporary with a nod and a wink to antiquity.
Other younger Nigerian artists seem to be making the most of 1-54. Kingsley Ayogu who was also at 1-54 in 2023 returned this year with works that are more confident and more realised. His Steve Biko (Cry of the South) from his Icons in the White House Series is striking and exciting and evocative.
Samuel Olayombo’s works featured predominantly male figures. The richly textured surfaces mimic African scarification (Wakanda, anyone!). Realised in vibrant pastel colours especially pink they reflect confidence mixed with vulnerable masculinity.
Idowu Oluwaseun’s Untitled features three young men with faces covered by bandanas in continuation of his exploration of striking portraits with anonymised visages. This particular work with their trainer shod feet resting on a ghetto blaster is evocative of hip hop and streel culture from American inner cities and Lagos island.
Alimi Adewale, though older than the rest, deserves mention for his Enigmatic Tranquility realised from Acrylic on dyed canvas. The work extends his ongoing conversation with materials moving from sculpted pieces to mixed media with paint on richly textured canvas.
As we look forward to next year’s edition, the hope is that African and Nigerian art will continue to elicit excitement while continuing on its upward trajectory.
