The Hungry Global Wolves Barneby’s is the world’s leading art and auction search engine. Its co-founder, one Pontus Silfverstolpe, says: ‘Now the world’s leading auction houses have taken notice of all the new interest in African art and have taken the plunge. Suddenly we have a new scramble for Africa, and this time it’s about […]
‘There is an image, an idea of Africa that lives deep in human imagination… It is alive within each of us on a primordial level, inexplicable yet undeniable.’ – Maya Angelou Two recent design exhibitions in Europe have been exploring African journeys of selection from the continent’s indisputably magnificent visual heritage, whether of functional design […]
Fashion Cities Africa Part One celebrated the style scene in Lagos and Nairobi through the contributions of those who create and wear it. Now Part Two covers two other creatively dynamic and design-influential African cities – Casablanca and Johannesburg. As the editor of the book Fashion Cities Africa, Eritrean-born Hannah Azieb Pool, says: “The book […]
African fashion is HOT today. Hands down – it’s the most innovative, exciting contemporary design scene on the globe. From couture to street-hip, it’s not only buzzing on the continent itself, but also influencing style internationally. In the last decade, there’s been a huge surge of interest in contemporary African art and design, as well […]
African art is HOT now! Across the continent galleries and museums are mushrooming, like a glorious aesthetic addiction. On the global scene, for the first time, an African curator, Nigerian-born Okwui Enwezor, oversaw the Venice Biennale. New York’s Armory Art Fair was recently ignited with thought-provoking African exhibits. Making Africa, a major show about contemporary […]
I am kanga, a gentle one that’s me I’m great and full of grace; I’m the first when one is born And definitely the last when death when one faces. From Kanga by Mahfouda Alley Hamid This printed cotton kanga’s inscription is echoed by another from the early 21st century, which reads Karibu Mgeni in […]
Moroccan women have always considered their appearance as an art form, dressing to thrill beneath sober jellabahs, and often using cosmetics well into old age. Traditional beauty products ensure their faces remain unlined, antimony lining their eyes, red salve blushing cheeks and lips. Their hair is scented with crushed rose buds and cloves, heena adding […]
In the United States the curator of an exhibition called Storylines, Professor Francine Farr, wrote in an open Thank You letter to its artist, Victor Ekpuk: “You gave us refreshingly current, sympathetic insights to Africa and African art, reminding us of art’s origins in our shared humanity and its power to heal, enlighten and inspire […]