Three African Pavilions At The 2026 Venice Biennale

The 61st edition of the Venice Biennale opened on May 9, with more than 80 countries staging their own national pavilions across the city. Here are 3 standout national pavilions at the 2026 Venice Biennale.

Uganda Pavilion

Title: Kampala

Commissioner: Acaye Kerunen Elizabeth

Curator: Taga Francis Nuwagaba

Exhibitors: Joseph Ntensibe, Lilian Mary Nabulime, Ronex Ahimbisibwe, Lakwena Maciver, Sheila Nakitende, Stacey Gillian Abe, Aloka Mark Trevor

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Three Art Exhibitions You Should Know About

Featuring the works of Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Otobong Nkanga, and John Akomfrah, these are three major art exhibitions on view this time of the year.

To Improvise A Mountain by Lynette Yiadom-Boakye

De La Warr Pavilion

June 27 – September 13, 2026

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African Artists Expanding The Ideas of Masculinity

These artists are exploring the multifaceted ideas of masculinity by capturing tenderness, uncertainty, and vulnerability, an emotional landscape rarely seen in Black male subjects.

Through mixed media, these three artists are inviting viewers to think about masculinity as a field of emotional, political, and visual production rather than as a stereotype or closure.

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Nigerian Artists You Should Know

Working across different mediums and exploring themes of identity, spirituality, and emotional alchemy, these are three exceptional artists living and working in Nigeria that you should know.

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African Artists Whose Works Sold At Art Basel 2026

Art Basel 2026 recently concluded after five days at Messe Basel. The 55th edition of the art fair brought together 290 galleries from 43 countries, presenting works by more than 4,000 artists across several standout presentations.

There are reported sales of works from these four African artists at the fair.

Ibrahim Mahama

White Cube reported the sale of Ibrahim Mahama’s artwork, Kulala (2026), for $113,000. Ibrahim Mahama was born in 1987 in Tamale, Ghana.

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4 Art Books By LGBTQIA+ Artists

From visual artists to art historians, art writers, and activists, here are 4 remarkable art books that highlight the contributions of LGBTQ+ artists, photographers, performers, and communities.

Somnyama Ngonyama, Hail the Dark Lioness by Zanele Muholi

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Three African Artists Portraying Queer Love In Their Practice

For Pride Month, we are spotlighting these three African artists who depict expressions of queer identity in their artistic practice.

Sola Olulode

Born in 1996, Sola Olulode is a British-Nigerian artist who creates delicate portrayals of queer love through her figurative works. Her work offers intimate depictions of Black queer identity, often adopting a gestural style that emphasises the importance of the body.

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Three African Art Biennials To Look Forward To In 2026

These are 3 African art biennials to look out for as the year progresses and the Venice Biennale’s programming runs fully.

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Three African Documentary Photographers You Should Know

These are 3 documentary photographers of African descent living on the continent and in the diaspora who deserve your attention.

Joana Choumali

Joana Choumali lives and works in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast). Her practice spans conceptual portraiture, mixed media, and documentary photography. Her work captures everyday scenes from life in Côte d’Ivoire and across Africa. Much of her work responds to and reflects the diverse cultures surrounding her. Choumali layers her photographs with image cutouts, fabric swatches, and intricate stitchwork. She transforms her original frames into sites of fantasy that burst with color, texture, and imagination. In her recent works, Choumali embroiders directly onto her photographs, completing the creation of the photographic image with a slow and meditative gesture.

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Open Calls For African Art Professionals in Q2

Here is a list of opportunities open for African artists, curators, and researchers. Emerging and established art professionals should consider sending out their CVs and portfolios for this quarter.

Zeitz MOCAA & UWC 2027 Museum Fellowship Programme

Deadline: June 30, 2026

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Four Artists To Watch At 1-54 New York

The 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair returns to New York for the 12th year! As usual, the fair brings together a focused group of galleries from across Africa, Europe, and the Americas. The fair, which takes place at the Starrett-Lehigh Building in Chelsea, offers a snapshot of contemporary practices from Africa and its diasporas, and a space for exchange between artists, collectors, and ideas.

This year’s curated focus, 1-54 Presents: Brazil Beyond Brazil, led by Igor Simões, explores Afro-Brazilian practices within a broader diasporic framework, offering a more layered perspective on contemporary production. A series of special projects expands the fair beyond the booth format, with presentations such as Vilanismo: Collective Practices of Refusal across the Black Atlantic, Ekene Ijeoma’s Black Forest, and TM Arthouse’s Entanglements exhibitions, all of which offer immersive, research-driven approaches.

These are four artists to watch at the fair this year.

Serge Attukwei Clottey

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African Artists With Their Fashion-Inspired Artworks

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute will unveil “Costume Art,” an exhibition that focuses on the relationship between fashion and the body. The grand Met Gala, held on May 4, 2026, was influenced by this theme. The exhibition will open on May 10, 2026, inaugurating a nearly 12,000-square-foot gallery suite adjacent to the Great Hall, known as the Condé M. Nast Galleries. The exhibition will match about 200 artworks with approximately 200 garments and accessories. The exhibition will survey representations of the dressed body across primarily Western art from prehistory to the present.

In keeping with the recent trend, this article spotlights African artists integrating fashion into their artworks. Featuring paintings of colourful headpieces and sculptural installations of shoes and distinctive batiks on figures, these artists are interpreting the dynamic relationship between fashion and contemporary art.

Anthony Akinbola

Nigerian-American artist Anthony Akinbola is known for his signature wall-mounted paintings, single and multi-panel works that utilize the ubiquitous du-rag as their primary material. He explores the du-rag as both a material for art-making and as commentary on larger issues of identity, respectability, and commodification of African American culture. His layered, richly colored compositions celebrate and signify the distinct cultures that shape his identity. Some of these large-scale pieces have been exhibited in solo presentations at the Museum of Arts and Design and the Queens Museum.

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The Invited Artists At The Venice Biennale 2026

The 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia will open in May and run through November. Themed In Minor Keys, the exhibition expands upon the late Koyo Kouoh’s relational geography of encounters with artists over her lifetime.

The Venice Biennale will feature 110 invited participants, among them, individual artists, collaborative duos, collectives, and artist-led organisations, from many different geographies and regions. Selected by Koyo Kouoh, who was nominated as the artistic director of La Biennale di Venezia’s visual arts department in November 2024, and paying particular attention to resonances, affinity, and possible convergences between practices, these artists are from Dakar, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, and so on.

The selected artists are: Akinbode Akinbiyi, Kader Attia, Seyni Awa Camara, Nolan Oswald Dennis, Godfried Donkor, Adebunmi Gbadebo, Wangechi Mutu, Otobong Nkanga, Kaloki Nyamai, Temitayo Ogunbiyi, Kambui Olujimi, Thania Petersen, Johannes Phokela, Issa Samb, Berni Searle, Mmakgabo Mmapula Helen Sebidi, Billie Zangewa, Victoria-Idongesit Udondian, Buhlebezwe Siwani, Ranti Bam, and Sammy Baloji.

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Introducing the Art Basel Awards 2026 African Medalists

Art Basel has recognised 33 artists, curators, patrons, media figures, and cultural platforms to mark their second year of honoring both artistic excellence and the individuals and institutions shaping and sustaining it.

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On View: Art Shows to look out for in Q2

There are major art fairs, museum exhibitions, and gallery shows on view this summer. Here are 3 art shows to look out for:

Yinka Ilori - Joy Through Resistance: He Who Laughs Last, Laughs Best

This summer, Yinka Ilori will present a new exhibition at Cristea Roberts Gallery. His exhibition, Joy Through Resistance, brings together new and recent works across painting, print, sculpture, immersive film, and sound, offering insights into themes that shape Ilori’s colorful visual language.

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Collectors of African Art You Should Know

Art collectors play a vital role in the local and global appreciation of African art. There are art collectors with massive collections that have made an impact on the African art market. Over the years, these four art collectors have established themselves as leading acquisitors of African art:

Jean Pigozzi

Jean Pigozzi started collecting contemporary African art in 1989. Since then, his private collection has become one of the largest in the world and is known as the Contemporary African Art Collection (CAAC – the Pigozzi Collection). Up to 2008, the collection was curated by independent curator and art dealer André Magnin. It is an ever increasing collection. There are thousands of artworks featuring paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, installations, and videos from contemporary artists living in sub-Saharan African countries. Artworks from Pigozzi’s private collection has been exhibited across the world. In 2019, Pigozzi donated 45 contemporary African artworks to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Works from Pigozzi’s collections have been exhibited at institutions including The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (2005); National Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C. (2005–06); The Guggenheim Bilbao, Spain (2006–07); Garage Center for Contemporary Culture, Moscow (2011); CNAC–Le Magasin, Grenoble, France (2011); and Foundation Cartier, Paris (2015–16), among others.

Emile Stipp

Emile Stipp is one of the prominent art collectors in South Africa’s art scene. He is on the African Acquisitions Committee of Tate. His collection, which focuses on contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora, includes major artists who work in painting, sculpture, and photography, like Zanele Muholi, David Goldblatt, Nicholas Hlobo, and Edson Chagas. He is also interested in video art and has collected works from Dineo Seshee Bopape, Kudzanai Chiurai, Emeka Ogboh, and Donna Kukama. Stipp has collected African art for more than 20 years. He has also donated works to the Tate Modern and the Art Institute of Chicago.

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Discovery and collecting become a thoughtful…

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Artists at Art Basel Hong Kong 2026

With a record of over 91,000 visitors, Art Basel Hong Kong came to a close on March 29. The 13th edition of the fair, which ran for five days at the Convention and Exhibition Centre, featured 240 galleries from 41 countries and territories, and reported steady sales. David Zwirner reported sales with a 2002 painting by South African artist Marlene Dumas, which sold for $3.5 million. Taka Ishii Gallery sold Jade Fadojutimi’s That day she grieved for the life she never had (2026) for approximately £350,000 ($465,000).

The works of these three artists caught our attention:

Jade Fadojutimi

Nigerian painter Jadé Fadojutimi’s work was presented in a group presentation with Taka Ishii Gallery. Her artistic practice revolves around questions about her own identity and her surroundings. By paying attention to the things that interest her, such as Japanese anime, soundtracks, video games, fashion, and the memories and experiences they evoke, she attempts to find clues to construct a sense of oneself. Interrogating herself incessantly about the fluid nature of identity and how her thoughts, emotions and experiences form her, she reflects on herself and releases her own self through the act of painting. Vivid and brilliant colors in a broad range of concentration and transparency fill up the canvas with brushstrokes in various scales, dots, marks, shapes, and textures. An emotional landscape, drifting between figurative and abstract, emerges with full of energy on the canvas.

Serge Alain Nitegeka

Featured in a group presentation with Pearl Lam Projects was Rwandan artist Serge Alain Nitegeka, whose works engage with memory, migration, and diasporic experience, addressing themes of displacement and belonging. Working with painting and sculpture and committed to his large-scale, site-specific installations, Nitegeka produces works that address issues of identity sparked by forced migration and cultural and political borders. His installations present obstacles that promote participation in the metaphoric experience: they physically bisect three-dimensional space and use the viewer as a further disruptive variable, resulting in a tableau vivant of sorts. Nitegeka’s acute, investigatory aesthetic sense places him within the rich art historical cadre of minimalism and abstraction, while the larger concepts he tackles resonate in the atmosphere of today’s global politics.

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DOWNLOAD OMENAI

Conceived as a response to both struc…

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Three Emerging Curators of African Art You Should Know

There has been some upward and remarkable movement in the curatorial practices and research focus of curators in the African art scene. Coming up with new perspectives and new ways of reimagining the African reality, these three African curators are reimagining African societies, fostering inclusivity in contemporary art spaces, and shaping the future of contemporary African art.

Chinyere Obieze

Chinyere Obieze is a Nigerian curator and cultural producer who investigates the material negotiations of knowledge systems across technology, nature, culture, and economy. Their practice interrogates how these interconnected forces shape and inform artistic production, with a focus on fostering critical thinking, interdisciplinary practices, and inclusivity in contemporary art spaces. Their work actively engages with artists to co-create spaces of dialogue and empowerment, challenging conventional narratives while opening new avenues for cultural and artistic expression. She is currently building frameworks to understand Africa’s evolving presence in digital environments.

Chinyere Obieze. Image courtesy of Tilley-Gyado Bemuter Victor.

Obieze curates Klub der Weishet (KDW), an ongoing project that works to animate philosophical ideas with performance art; she has also curated Dreaming New Worlds (2023), Kedu Lagos (2024), Chord Notes (2026), and was a curatorial assistant for Lagos Biennial (2024). They will curate the 5th Lagos Biennial.

Aisha Aliyu-Bima

Aisha Aliyu-Bima is a Nigerian curator, writer, researcher, and photographer. She is the Director of Arts at the African School of Economics, Abuja, Nigeria. Her work mainly focuses on Africa’s contemporary arts through a geographical and anthropological lens. Her research subjects include the Hausa Language, its influence and counter-influences across the Sahel, and the interconnections in this region, the past and present cultures of Nok Valley, and material and ecological functions in African Art.

Aliyu-Bima has been published in the Republic Journal, Radr Africa, and Za! Magazine. She has been a Curatorial resident at Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris and at Angels and Muse in Lagos. Her exhibition “Arewa?” (2024) presented a nuanced tour of Northern Nigeria through the works of its three generations of contemporary artists at the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art, Lagos.

Ng’onga Silupya

Ng’onga Silupya is a curator, cultural practitioner, arts administrator, and art writer based in Lusaka, Zambia. Her curatorial perspective is informed by theories of mediation, cultural studies, visual studies, and art history. Her research interests lie in reimagining societies and communities by embracing indigenous and culturally sustainable practices through contemporary art to address socio-political and environmental issues. Silupya associates her work with narratives, prejudices, superstitious practices, natural phenomena, and physical constructions connected with various ethnic groups in Zambia and across the globe.

Recent roles include Curator at the Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe Historical Museum (2024), Curator-in-Residence at Hordaland Kunstsenter in Bergen, Norway (2024), and participant in the 2024 Latitudes Online Curatorial Lab. She currently serves on the Executive Board as Vice-National Secretary of the Zambia National Visual Arts Council and heads the exhibitions committee at the Henry Tayali Art Gallery. In 2022, she started Imvelo Studios, a space created to champion Zambian arts and foster a creative community. She is a 2025 TheMuseumsLab Fellow.

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