1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair announced details of the 2023 annual New York edition, following the notable success of last year’s return to an in-person fair event in Harlem. The 2023 iteration will take place at Malt House in the Manhattanville Factory District, 429 West 127th Street, from Thursday, May 18 through Sunday, May 21, 2023. The fair will host VIP previews from 11am to 7pm on Thursday, May 18th. Artsy will be hosting the fair online.
Above, gorgeous mixed-media tapestries by artist Ange Dakouo in the LS Guirandou Gallery booth, along with Pedro Pires, Alun Be and Professor Ablade Glover, below.
Held annually across three continents, in London, New York and Marrakech, 1-54 strives to promote a community of diverse perspectives, including evolving interpretations of the diasporic experience. This year’s New York edition features a total of 26 galleries hailing from across Africa, Europe and the U.S. ~ Nevlunghavn to Cape Town and Los Angeles to Lagos.
The fair is proud to announce that over half of participating galleries are making their 1-54 New York debuts, while over a third of representative parties maintain a physical showroom in Africa. Newcomers to New York include DADA Gallery (Lagos, Nigeria & London, UK); Kates-Ferri Projects (NYC); kó (Lagos, Nigeria); LatchKey Gallery NYC; LouiSimone Guirandou Gallery, Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire), Spinello Projects, Miami, Florida; and Wunika Mukan Gallery (Lagos, Nigeria).
Gorgeous paintings by Roméo Mivekannin, above and below fill the gallery space of Cecile Fakhoury.
All four-floors were a feast for the eyes. We were surprised and delighted to find Kenseth Armstead in an exhibition entitled True North: Feet Don’t Fail Me Now on the third floor, presented by Pioneer Works.
Armstead is no stranger to Harlem, with his 2020-2021 installation Kenseth Armstead: Boulevard of African Monarchs, which was on view on 116th Street.
Above – gracing an entire wall is a beautiful hand-woven tapestry by Nelson Makamo entitled ‘Untitled’ 2022, presented by Rise Art.
“It’s an honor to be back in Harlem for what we anticipate will be our largest and best-attended New York fair to date,” said 1-54 Founding Director Touria El Glaoui. “We strive to grow and evolve with each edition and are delighted to be collaborating with several galleries for the first time as well as a breadth of new artists. We look forward to welcoming visitors to the Manhattanville Factory District this May.”
Above and below, artists Dawit Abebe, Gerald Chukwuma and Rufai Zakari in the Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery booth.
Partnerships ~ Now in its fourth consecutive year, 1-54’s continued partnership with Christie’s reflects the fair’s dynamic relationship with the global auction house. The collaboration also demonstrates Christie’s commitment to showcasing contemporary African art to its global client base and enhancing exposure for the fair internationally.
Thanks to 1-54-s long-standing partnership with Artsy, visitors will also be able to explore, connect with, and collect from all participating galleries and artists online from May 18-31, 2023.
The 2023 participant galleries for 1-54 New York are:
50 GOLBORNE (London, United Kingdom)
AFIKARIS (Paris, France)
DADA Gallery* (Lagos, Nigeria & London, UK)
Duane Thomas Gallery* New York City
Eric Firestone Gallery* (New York City, United States & East Hampton, NY, United States)
Fridman Gallery (New York City, United States)
Galerie Atiss Dakar* (Dakar, Senegal)
Galerie Carole Kvanevski (Paris, France)
Galerie Cécile Fakhoury (Paris, France, Dakar, Senegal and Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire)
Galerie Number 8 (Brussels, Belgium)
Gallery Nosco* (Brussels, Belgium)
KATES-FERRI PROJECTS* New York City
kó* (Lagos, Nigeria)
Kristin Hjellegjerde* (London, United Kingdom, Berlin & Schloss Goerne, Germany;
Nevlunghavn, Norway; Palm Beach, Florida
LatchKey Gallery* New York City
Loeve&Co* (Paris, France)
Loft Art Gallery* (Casablanca, Morocco)
LouiSimone Guirandou Gallery* (Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire)
Luce Gallery (Turin, Italy)
Mehari Sequar Gallery* (Washington D.C, United States)
Retro Africa (Abuja, Nigeria)
SEPTIEME Gallery* (Paris, France & Cotonou, Benin)
Spinello Projects* (Miami, Florida)
Superposition Gallery (Miami Beach, New York City, Los Angeles, & The Hamptons, United States)
THK Gallery* (Cape Town, South Africa & Cologne, Germany)
Wunika Mukan Gallery* (Lagos, Nigeria)
* denotes exhibitors new to 1-54 New York
A presence in New York since 2015, 1-54 proudly makes its home in Harlem, a hub for cross-cultural and diasporic exchange. This year’s fair will once again take place in the neighborhood of West Harlem, following a successful return to an in-person event last year at Harlem Parish. The new location allows the fair to expand considerably in terms of its floor space dedicated to new artists and galleries while continuing to draw visitors and art-world attention toward the historic neighborhood. Designed by GLUCK+ as an adaptive-reuse project, whichpreserves and builds on a 1917 brewery located in West Harlem, Manhattanville Factory District connects business, retail, and public green space in an exciting mixed-use facility.
Above in the Fridman Gallery, Tigist Yoseph Ron, along with Dindga McCannon and Rem Jungerman.
1-54 is dedicated to broadening global awareness about the art-historical significance of African modern and contemporary art. Since its first fair in London in 2013, 1-54 has presided over a massive shift in art world awareness and market interest in contemporary African and diasporic art practices, hosting panel events and providing an event calendar dedicated to the aesthetic richness of creative work emerging from the continent and its diaspora.
1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair will be located at Malt House, previously occupied by Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, in the Manhattanville Factory District at 439 West 127th Street, NYC. The Fair will run from Thursday, May 18 through Sunday, May 21, 2023.
In addition, 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair presents Sparkling Islands, Another Postcard of the Caribbean, a group exhibition of contemporary Caribbean artists coinciding with the fair’s 9th New York edition. This exhibition will be on view from May 11 ~ 20 at High Line Nine Galleries, 507 West 27th Street and 508 West 28th Street in Chelsea, NYC.
Follow 1-54 on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
Take a look-back at 1-54 in 2022.
While you’re in Harlem, don’t miss Gio Swaby, I Will Blossom Anyway at Claire Oliver Gallery in Harlem, Opening May 19th with Reception from 6-8pm.
Continue on to Frieze New York 2023 at The Shed.