1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair

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Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, Thandiwe Muriu discovered photography at age 14, experimenting with her fathers old Nikon camera. Self-taught, she immersed herself in books and video tutorials, learning from every resource she could find, as Kenya did not have any formal photography schools. Muriu’s work showcases Kenya’s unique mix of vibrant textiles, cultural practices, and beauty ideologies. Creating surreal illusions that are not digital manipulations but rather pure photography, she confronts issues surrounding identity and self-perception while seeking to redefine female empowerment through the application of her choice of materials. Thandiwe Muriu (@thandiwe_muriu) will be represented by 193 Gallery(@193gallery ) at 1-54 London 2024!⁠ ⁠ Image: Thandiwe Muriu, Imperfect Perfection, 2024, Photography, Jet Ink Print of FineArt RAG MATT 310g, 90 x 60 cm. Edition 4 of 7. Courtesy of The Artist and 193 Gallery. #154artfair #154London #contemporaryafricanart #ThandiweMuriu

Milan Young is a self-taught abstract-expressionist artist. Young's practice revolves around a thorough research into colour theory and different cultural, social and scientific fields. As a Black American of Haitian descent, Young is particularly interested in exploring her origins and heritage, often touching upon themes such as slavery and intergenerational-trauma. Young’s practice fluctuates in a paradoxical state between chaos and premeditation. The element of chance imbued in the artistic gesture plays a pivotal role in her production, though it also conceals a component of chromatic order and thematic investigation. Young’s work often conveys her emotional state throughout the creative process. She has a recurrent need to revisit and alter her pictorial surface, most works in fact conceal hidden layers of previous experimentations, discarded or modified to attain geometrical harmony, chromatic strength and conceptual depth. Milan Young(@mlanyoung) will be represented by Gillian Jason Gallery(@gillianjasongallery) at 1-54 London 2024!⁠ ⁠ Image: Milan Young, Untitled 2021, 2024, acrylic, oil and pastel on watercolour paper, 22.5 x 15 cm, Courtesy of Gillian Jason Gallery. #154artfair #154London #contemporaryafricanart #MilanYoung

Stephen Langa’s body of works explores diverse stories of Black people, gathering inspiration from personal tales from people, experiences, and the environment around him. His work is also inspired by the Impressionist art period, researching and exploring ways to capture emotions and fuel the works. Langa studied Art & Design at the Tshwane North College in Pretoria, specialising in charcoal drawing, watercolour, and oil paintings. Furthermore, he studied Printmaking at Artist Proof Studios (APS), a professional printmaking excellency institution. Stephen Langa(@Stephen_langa_art) will be represented by Galleria Anna Marra (@galleriaannamarra) at 1-54 London 2024!⁠ ⁠ Image: Stephen Langa, Through the window I see, 2024, Oil on canvas, 130 x 130 cm. Courtesy of Galleria Anna Marra. #154artfair #154London #contemporaryafricanart #StephenLanga

Johnson Uwadinma’s work often explores themes of memory and the urban landscape. He likes to mix materials, but favours acrylic and oil paints, utilising both mediums together on several occasions. He enjoys exploring the mindscape through themes connected to memory and thought. Johnson Uwadinma(@johnsonuwadinma ) will be represented by SOTO Gallery (@sotogallery ) at 1-54 London 2024! Image: Johnson Uwadinma, A LEAF'S MEMOIR, 2023, Acrylic and oil on canvas, 153 x 213 cm. Courtesy of the Artist & SOTO Gallery. #154artfair #154London #contemporaryafricanart #JohnsonUwadinma

Fally Sène Sow follows in the footsteps of the masters of the Ecole de Dakar and the painters and weavers of the Thiès tapestries, to free himself from the phenomena of fashion to develop a unique body of work to convey universal messages imbued with Senegalese heritage. Using a multitude of materials applied to canvas, Sène Sow produces his works by composing pigments, filasse, plastic and materials taken from the ground. These decomposing materials are a humus, a metaphor for the cycles of the soul and the carnal envelope, enabling her to create a flamboyant ecosystem. Fally Sène Sow (@fally_colobane) will be represented by Christophe Person(@christopheperson) at 1-54 London 2024!⁠ ⁠ Image: Fally Sène Sow, L'expression, 2023, Mixed media on canvas, 200 x 122 cm. Courtesy Galerie CHRISTOPHE PERSON. #154artfair #154London #contemporaryafricanart #FallySèneSow

Megan Gabrielle Harris is a multi-disciplinary artist who works in painting and photography. Dividing her time between Brooklyn and Sacramento where she lives and works, Harris' work is influenced by travel, surreal landscapes and time spent in nature. Her work in oil and acrylic typically features women of colour in relaxed, sanguine and contemplative positions often painted against a rich, sublime backdrop. Harris explores dreamscapes and the concept of escape, an idea she identifies with the work of her father, Thomas Harris, who painted in the Escapism style. Megan Gabrielle Harris(@megangabrielleharris) will be represented by OOA Gallery(@ooa.gallery) at 1-54 London 2024!⁠ ⁠ Image: Megan Gabrielle Harris, Consonance Hires, 2024, 121 x 91cm, Acrylic and oil on canvas, courtesy of OOA GALLERY. #154artfair #154London #contemporaryafricanart #MeganGabrielleHarris

Alexis Peskine’s signature large-scale portraits are rendered by hammering gold leafed nails of different gauge into wood stained with coffee and mud with pin-point accuracy. Metaphorically connecting the nail to the Black Experience, Peskine depicts figures that portray strength, perseverance, and self-possession with energy startlingly reminiscent of the Minkisi “power figures” of the Congo Basin. Nails, in both ancient and contemporary cultures across the African continent, are associated with objects of prodigious symbolic and spiritual power. Peskine focuses on questions of identity and the intricate nature of the Black experience around the world, which drives him to travel and constantly engage in artistic reflections. In his latest works, Peskine experiments with colour, materials, and form, including sliced tree trunks, curcuma, and hibiscus, to create compelling portraits. Alexis Peskine(@alexispeskine) will be represented by October Gallery(@octobergallery) at 1-54 London 2024!⁠ ⁠ Image: Alexis Peskine, Oxaláland 1, 2018 Archival pigment print on Hahnemühle German Etching 310gsm paper on Dibond 150 x 100 cm Edition of 5 (AP042) © Alexis Peskine. Courtesy the Artist and October Gallery, London. #154artfair #154London #contemporaryafricanart #AlexisPeskine

Born in 1988 in Addis Ababa, Fikeradis Lamesgen is passionate about learning and the arts. She developed her skills through art clubs, enrolled at Abyssinian Art Center, and attended Entoto Polytechnic College. In 2022, she graduated in sculpting from Addis Ababa University Allé School of Fine Arts and Design. Fikeradis Lamesgen(@Fikerlamesgen) will be represented by Post Gallery(@postgalleryet ) at 1-54 London 2024!⁠ ⁠ Image: Fikeradis Lamesgen, Untitled, 2024, Acrylic on canvas, 100 x 100 cm. Courtesy of Post Gallery. #154artfair #154London #contemporaryafricanart #FikeradisLamesgen

Roméo Mivekannin blends his creations with both long standing heritage and the contemporary world, infusing his creations with an ancient temporal essence that pays homage to his cultural roots and echoes the prevalent voodoo cosmology in Benin. He addresses the stereotypes and racism found in Western representations of African people. He presents the history of western art in a new light and thus, allows us to question our preconceived notions. This approach is paradoxical: he is both the model and painter, the victim and perpetrator, the mask and face. Roméo Mivekannin (@romeomivekannin) will be represented by Galerie Eric Dupont(@galerieericdupont) at 1-54 London 2024!⁠ ⁠ Image: Roméo Mivekannin, Eleonora di Toledo after Bronzino, 2023, Elixir bath and acrylic on canvas, 168 x 137 cm. Courtesy of Galerie Eric Dupont. #154artfair #154London #contemporaryafricanart #RoméoMivekannin