<![CDATA[OMENAI Insider]]>https://www.omenaiinsider.comhttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aBVV!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1d74b4b-22fc-4abc-ae65-e5a61be58bb3_256x256.pngOMENAI Insiderhttps://www.omenaiinsider.comSubstackWed, 28 Oct 2026 09:24:31 GMT<![CDATA[The Gallery As A Middle Ground For The Artist and The Collector]]>https://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/the-gallery-as-a-middle-ground-forhttps://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/the-gallery-as-a-middle-ground-forThu, 22 Oct 2026 15:31:22 GMTEDITORIAL

Types of Art Galleries

For as long as artists have created artworks, art galleries have existed in different forms and structures. Art galleries cater to the varied needs of artists, curators, collectors, and other art enthusiasts in the art industry. The gallery can be a middle ground for both the artists and collectors, as there can be challenges regarding the sale and purchase of artworks. An art gallery can do more than promote an artist; it can provide artists with studios for their practice and help them get the education necessary for their artistic development.

The role art galleries play in the art world is crucial and multifaceted; it goes beyond simply organizing exhibitions, selling artworks, supporting artists, and connecting them to collectors. Art galleries can be divided into several categories, each performing a different role in the art world.

Image courtesy of Afronova and Baptiste de Ville d’Avray.

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]]><![CDATA[On Career Stages and Positioning in the Art World]]>https://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/on-career-stages-and-positioninghttps://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/on-career-stages-and-positioningThu, 15 Oct 2026 15:30:18 GMTEDITORIAL

Career Stages in the Art World

An artist’s career is barely on a straight line, even though the art industry tends to describe it in stages. Knowing the different career stages gives artists, collectors, and curators a better grasp of how positioning works within the industry. The different stages represent time, clarity of purpose and form, and a defined style and technique.

Ben Enwonwu, Tutu, 1974. Image courtesy of Bonhams London.

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]]><![CDATA[Art Collectors, The Lagos Biennial & What’s On View]]>https://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/leading-collectors-of-african-arthttps://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/leading-collectors-of-african-artThu, 08 Oct 2026 15:31:26 GMTEDITORIAL

Top Art Collectors in the World and Their Recent Acquisitions

ARTNews recently highlighted the top 200 art collectors in the world. We found these collectors and their recent acquisitions exciting. The artists whose works were collected have achieved widespread recognition, institutional backing, and a stable market value over the years. The collectors are:

  1. Anita Blanchard and Martin Nesbitt

Anita Blanchard and Martin Nesbitt. Image courtesy of ARTnews.

Anita Blanchard and Martin Nesbitt have made a point of including the work of artists based in Africa in their impressive collection. Anita Blanchard, M.D., is a physician specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, and previously was a professor at UChicago Medicine but has since retired. Martin Nesbitt is a businessman who got his start in real estate and is the cofounder and co-CEO of the private equity firm The Vistria Group in 2013, with Kip Kirkpatrick.

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, A Reformation, 2025. Image courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.

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]]><![CDATA[From Ghana to Dakar to The Met: The Art Stories to Know]]>https://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/ghanaian-artists-you-should-lookhttps://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/ghanaian-artists-you-should-lookThu, 01 Oct 2026 15:31:48 GMTEDITORIAL

Ghanaian Artists You Should Know

These are three Ghanaian artists working across different mediums that you should know.

Kesewa Aboah

Kesewa Aboah. Image courtesy of Marfa Stance.

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]]><![CDATA[African Artists Reclaiming Domestic Scenes]]>https://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/african-artists-reclaiming-domestichttps://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/african-artists-reclaiming-domesticThu, 24 Sep 2026 15:31:31 GMTEDITORIAL

Wangari Mathenge And Usha Seejarim Are Reclaiming Domestic Scenes

Born in 1973 in Nairobi, Kenya, Wangari Mathenge is known for her paintings that celebrate the multiplicity of African identity and culture, examining the creation and dissemination of ideas, objects and social practice.

Wangari Mathenge, Re-membering XII (The Wednesday Women’s Club), 2026, Oil on canvas, 183 x 228.5 cm. Image courtesy of Lévy Gorvy Dayan.

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]]><![CDATA[Presentations To See At The Upcoming Armory Show]]>https://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/presentations-to-see-at-the-upcominghttps://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/presentations-to-see-at-the-upcomingThu, 17 Sep 2026 15:30:45 GMTEDITORIAL

The Armory Show 2026: Presentations To Look Out For

The Armory Show will take place this September, from 24–27 at the Javits Center, bringing together around 230 galleries from more than 30 countries. Spanning large-scale installations, performance, talks, and participatory projects, the 2026 edition creates new opportunities for experimentation, collaboration, and engagement across the fair.

The fair’s expanded Solo section will include around 25 single-artist presentations, including Nigerian-American artist Monilola Olayemi Ilupeju. The Presents section, devoted to younger galleries, will feature approximately 55 exhibitors, including Adegbola Gallery (Lagos), Circle Art Gallery (Nairobi), Graham Contemporary (Johannesburg), kó (Lagos) and Reservoir (Cape Town). For Armory Sculpture 2026, inspired by the 1913 Armory Show, the section features ambitious, large-scale sculptures throughout the fair’s floor plan, including Tusukane (2023) by Kaloki Nyamai. The Galleries section features leading international galleries including Everard Read, Southern Guild, and EBONY/CURATED, amongst others.

Monilola Olayemi Ilupeju, Spot Treatment, 2026, 30 x 40 cm, oil, hydroquinone and colored pencil on leather. Image courtesy of the artist.

These are the presentations to look out for:

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]]><![CDATA[Notable Sales At Frieze Seoul 2026]]>https://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/notable-sales-at-frieze-seoul-2026https://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/notable-sales-at-frieze-seoul-2026Thu, 10 Sep 2026 15:30:49 GMTEDITORIAL

Highlights: Frieze Seoul 2026

The fifth edition of Frieze Seoul opened from September 2 to September 5 at COEX Center, Seoul. Featuring over 130 exhibitors from 30 countries and regions, the exhibition drew 70,000 visitors, including collectors and institutions from around the world.

Galleries that showed African art at the fair included White Cube, Mendes Wood DM, and Sprüth Magers, amongst others. White Cube presented works from El Anatsui, Tesfaye Urgessa, and Ibrahim Mahama, amongst others.

El Anatsui, MivEvi VII, 2025, Aluminium, printers’ plates and copper wire, 260 x 314 cm. Image courtesy of White Cube.

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]]><![CDATA[Art Shows To See This September]]>https://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/art-shows-to-see-this-septemberhttps://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/art-shows-to-see-this-septemberThu, 03 Sep 2026 15:30:52 GMTEDITORIAL

On View: The File Cannot Be Restored at THK Gallery

THK Gallery presents a group exhibition titled The File Cannot Be Restored. The exhibition embraces fragmentation, layering, and material transformation as ways of understanding how memory endures – continually rewritten through the stories we inherit, the places we inhabit, and the futures we imagine.

Featuring the works of Nicola Brandt, Sahlah Davids and Tshepiso Moropa, the exhibition examines how memory persists across landscapes, archives, inherited traditions, and everyday acts of making. Working across photography, collage, and textile assemblage, these artists approach history as a contested and continually unfolding terrain.

Tshepiso Moropa, Stranger Fruit, 2025, collage, Edition of 5 + 1 AP, 59.4 x 84.7 cm. Image courtesy of THK Gallery.

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]]><![CDATA[Filmmakers Shaping African Cinema]]>https://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/filmmakers-shaping-african-cinemahttps://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/filmmakers-shaping-african-cinemaThu, 27 Aug 2026 15:30:44 GMTEDITORIAL

Four African Filmmakers You Should Know

From Lagos to Dakar, and beyond, here are filmmakers shaping African cinema one frame at a time.

MATI DIOP

Mati Diop. Image courtesy of the Cultured.

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]]><![CDATA[African Art Presentations To Look Out For]]>https://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/african-art-presentations-to-lookhttps://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/african-art-presentations-to-lookThu, 20 Aug 2026 15:31:59 GMTEDITORIAL

Temitayo Ogunbiyi And Sungi Mlengeya’s Upcoming Solo Exhibitions

Temitayo Ogunbiyi, You will have revelations along felled branches and longer roots/routes, Installation view at The Arts Club of Chicago, 2025. Image courtesy of Michael Tropea/We.

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]]><![CDATA[How To Start Collecting African Art]]>https://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/how-to-start-collecting-african-arthttps://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/how-to-start-collecting-african-artThu, 13 Aug 2026 15:30:31 GMTEDITORIAL

Where To Go As An Art Collector

As an emerging art collector, there are art-centered spaces where you can go to collect artworks and connect with artists, curators, and fellow collectors.

A hands-on cyanotype printing workshop and open studio led by Nigerian artist adeoluwa oluwajoba at G.A.S. Foundation, Lagos, 2026. Image courtesy of G.A.S. Foundation.

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]]><![CDATA[Outdoor Sculpture Exhibitions To See This August]]>https://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/outdoor-sculpture-exhibitions-tohttps://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/outdoor-sculpture-exhibitions-toThu, 06 Aug 2026 15:31:58 GMTEDITORIAL

Outdoor Sculpture Exhibitions You Should Know About

Here are four monumental outdoor sculpture exhibitions on view this quarter.

Temitayo Ogunbiyi, You will find sustenance in acts of sharing and rest, 2026, Moroccan fossil marble terrazzo and copper alloy concrete. Dimensions Variable. Installation view, Venice Biennale. Image courtesy of the artist.

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]]><![CDATA[African Artists Using Textiles As A Medium Of Communication]]>https://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/african-artists-using-textiles-ashttps://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/african-artists-using-textiles-asThu, 30 Jul 2026 15:30:19 GMTEDITORIAL

Four African Artists Working With Textiles

African artists have used stitching, knotting, braiding, sewing, quilting, and felting to explore themes of family, identity, gender stereotypes, and political narratives over the years. As they draw from personal experiences and cultural memory, these four contemporary African artists are using textiles as a medium of communication.

Nike Davies-Okundaye, The Market Square I, 2025, Batik on cotton, Installation at Al Ain Oasis, UAE, commissioned by Abu Dhabi Art and the Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi, 675 x 155 cm. Image courtesy of kó gallery.

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]]><![CDATA[The African Pavilions At The 2026 Venice Biennale]]>https://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/the-african-pavilions-at-the-2026https://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/the-african-pavilions-at-the-2026Thu, 23 Jul 2026 15:30:41 GMTEDITORIAL

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

Installation View, Stacey Gillian Abe, Garden of Blue Whispers, 2025. Image courtesy of Unit London.

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]]><![CDATA[African Art Exhibitions To See This Quarter]]>https://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/african-art-exhibitions-to-see-thishttps://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/african-art-exhibitions-to-see-thisThu, 16 Jul 2026 15:30:50 GMTEDITORIAL

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

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, To Improvise a Mountain, 2024, Charcoal and conte on paper, variable dimensions (unfinished). Image courtesy of the Artist, Corvi-Mora, London, and Jack Shainman, New York.

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]]><![CDATA[African Artists Expanding The Ideas of Masculinity]]>https://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/african-artists-expanding-the-ideashttps://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/african-artists-expanding-the-ideasThu, 09 Jul 2026 15:31:00 GMTEDITORIAL

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.

Matthew Eguavoen, If i see work i go do, 2024, Acrylic and oil on canvas, 40 × 40 cm. Image courtesy of Bode Gallery.

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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]]><![CDATA[Nigerian Artists You Should Look Out For]]>https://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/nigerian-artists-you-should-lookhttps://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/nigerian-artists-you-should-lookThu, 02 Jul 2026 15:30:02 GMTEDITORIAL

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.

Talut Kareem, Fetch your life, 2022, Charcoal and acrylic on canvas, 152.4 x 122 cm. Image courtesy of kó gallery.

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]]><![CDATA[Reported African Art Sales At Art Basel 2026]]>https://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/reported-african-art-sales-at-arthttps://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/reported-african-art-sales-at-artThu, 25 Jun 2026 15:31:13 GMTEDITORIAL

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.

Ibrahim Mahama, Kulala, 2025-26, Hand-woven textile and metal tags on reclaimed tire ply, 200 x 198 cm. Image courtesy of White Cube.

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]]><![CDATA[Four Remarkable Art Books You Should Know]]>https://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/four-remarkable-art-books-you-shouldhttps://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/four-remarkable-art-books-you-shouldThu, 18 Jun 2026 15:31:30 GMTEDITORIAL

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

Image courtesy of Google Books.

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]]><![CDATA[African Artists Portraying Queer Love In Their Practice]]>https://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/african-artists-portraying-queerhttps://www.omenaiinsider.com/p/african-artists-portraying-queerThu, 11 Jun 2026 15:31:20 GMTEDITORIAL

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.

Sola Olulode. Image courtesy of The Wick.

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