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Summer has arrived in the Northern hemisphere and it is arguably the best time of year to enjoy the various offerings each city provides — architecture, parks, and undoubtedly the various museums and galleries. From iconic artists to rising stars, lesser known art movements and the celebration of African photography, this guide offers our picks on the ever-evolving landscape of contemporary art.

As Pride month comes to a close, it is crucial to recognise the artistic contributions of queer individuals who challenge traditional narratives and perspectives. In the realm of contemporary art, one name that stands out is Mickalene Thomas. With her bold reinterpretation of iconic works like Édouard Manet's Olympia and Le Dejeuner sur l'herbe, Thomas offers a unique representation from a black and queer perspective, simultaneously engaging with queer theory. In this article, we will delve into Thomas' artistic journey and explore how she reshapes the art world through her powerful and inclusive vision.

For Morocco, rich artistic heritage comes hand in hand with its traditional artisanship, colourful enclaves and impressively ornate architecture. In recent years, this creative identity has been added to by the growth of its contemporary art scene. Two major private institutions — Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL) and Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech — opened within two years of one another. Events like Marrakech Art Week and 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair add to the growing excitement. This roundup gathers together a list of artists from Morocco that is significant to the local scene and have made waves internationally. While many still live in Morocco, others work within the diaspora and present opportunities for international audiences to immerse themselves. Perhaps this roundup may even convince you to make plans to visit the country and discover the spaces and artists in the flourishing contemporary art scene.

Ideas of the home have been explored in contemporary art — tied to issues of race and gender, identity and class. The ‘home is where the heart is’ theme is an abundant notion with many myriad approaches in contemporary art. In Emma Prempeh’s paintings, homes and interiors are imbued with locale, history, memory and identity.

Celebrating a decade of contemporary South African art, Investec Cape Town opened its doors for its tenth edition. From modest beginnings, it is now generally acknowledged as the largest international contemporary art fair in Africa. The fair focused on the concept of time — the theme was broad, appropriately so as time is all-encompassing of ideas about the past, present, and future as well as the ever-important concept of change that comes with time. The tenth-anniversary timing for this theme was also appropriate. The fair reached its ten-year height, boasting 25 000 visitors, 106 exhibitors from 18 different countries, and 337 artists; it was the fair's largest-ever edition. To accompany this larger-than-ever, birthday-bash edition, were some spectacular highlights that are worth celebrating especially because this fair has much to teach other fairs on the continent.

Discover interview by young and emerging Ba Simba. Born in the heart of the Democratic Republic of Congo and currently living in Los Angeles, the young emerging artist Bâ Simba draws inspiration from both his personal history and his research into African art history, such as ancient Kemetic art, Bantu masks, and pan-African sculpture. Bâ Simba employs a characteristic methodology — complex geometric patterns and strong lines create an inimitable style. Patterns define his work and process and bring structure to the artwork. His paintings are seas of rich imagery, the intricate layers of patterns resting in front of colour sit against his central story-telling features and figures.

Lovers, collectors and dealers of African art have a new rising star to keep their eyes on: Joy Labinjo. The British-Nigerian artist, who paints large-scale figurative paintings, often of black individuals, has leapt to rapid success in recent years.

After Nigeria and South Africa, let’s keep on with the Democratic Republic of Congo. In this article, we are looking at modern Congolese artists who have been mainly influential during the second half of last century. The following artists have been nationally acclaimed for their work and contribution to the arts.

Pavillon54 highlights five key artists from Africa and the Diaspora who are defying cultural and societal expectations and furthering a progressive, forward-thinking and revolutionary African art movement. Through photography, performance, painting or sculpture—whichever weapon of choice the artists’ choose—each of their practices are dedicated to fighting stereotypes and discrimination against the queer communities in their respective countries, and the world more broadly.

Nigerian-American artist Victor Ekpuk has come to acclaim through his unique visual language, which abstracts the ancient Nigerian script Nsibidi and indigenous Uli art forms.

Pavillon54 provides a breakdown of this year’s major events, and what we can look forward to for the second half of 2022.

A Guide to Buying African Art at Auction: If you are new to the world of collecting art, you may already know that the two primary means of acquiring art are through galleries and auction houses. Perhaps you know a couple of the famous, international names: Sotheby’s, Christie’s… But entering the auction house arena can be an intimidating feat, especially for new collectors. Pavillon54 breaks down 6 ways to ease yourself into the auction market, and what tips and tricks to know.

Pavillon 54 had the chance to have a chat with Saint-Etienne Yeanzi. born in 1988, he graduated in painting and photography at the “ Lycée d'Enseignement Artistique “of Cocody and the National School of Arts in Abidjan, in 2012. Yéanzi, a street art enthusiast, worked as a commissioned portrait painter for ten years. Since 2013, he has been pursuing personal work using melt plastic material. As many other African artists, he doesn’t create such pieces with the intention of becoming ‘Environmental’ artists, but rather, he uses the materials around him as a part of his existing culture and makes a more poignant statement about the effects of capitalism, as well as Western colonialism and consumerism on the African continent.

If you want to know more about NFTs, The team here at Pavillon54 have compiled some of the most common questions surrounding NFTs, and have provided our clearest, most concise answers. Read on to learn all about this art-world phenomenon that has received so much press coverage in recent months, and why it could be a gamechanger for the African art market.

The Zaire School of Popular Painting is an African artistic movement that emerged in the 1970s in Kinshasa, the capital of what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, formally Zaire. It was created by artists Chéri Samba, Moké, Chéri Chérin and Bodo. The term “popular” reflects the School’s goal: to represent day to day life and popular art and their art boldly displays the challenges of modernity, sexuality, conflict and politics of the country.

New-York hosted two art fairs at the end of spring: Frieze New York & 1-54 New York. With fairs and other arty events progressively reopening their doors to the public – much of the display and outreach still took place online. Online viewing rooms or platforms and talks are your co-hosts of choice. What have been this year highlights

What does the notion of ‘contemporary African art’ refer to today? We have previously published an article on the subject, but now we invite you to consider it from a socio-cultural and collective perspective. What is at stake when we frame or understand contemporary art practices within this concept? Undergoing relevant criticism, this notion still identifies a broad set of practices that have in common their concern to transcend the (danger of a) single story about ‘Africa’ so ingrained in popular culture, and to amend art history canons. Contemporary African art has always been a matter of its time, running parallel with the emancipation drive/calls of a post-colonial generation, refusing to be defined by the weight of the colonial legacy or understood through colonial readings. As such, it is in constant evolution and reflects the hopes and scenarios of a creative community that relates to Africa and its diaspora.

As the one-stop global digital platform and community for art from Africa and the Diaspora, Pavillon54 always seeks to enter fruitful partnerships with artists, curators, collectors, and galleries. It became only natural, then, that for the next step of our development, we partnered with some of the most exciting international galleries that specialise in contemporary African art and share our vision for the African art market.

With his first solo UK exhibition ‘Dreaming of Identity’ at JD Malat gallery, London, Kojo Marfo (b. 1980) explores the theme of identity through his own experience of migration. The artist depicts human figures with references from Africa, representing his roots in Ghana and Akan’s culture, and from the Western world - representing his travel to New York in the 1990s and his life based in London from 1999.

Article about 7 of the most influential modern and contemporary Nigerian Artists that you must know.

With brighter mobility perspectives looming on the horizon, art lovers are probably looking at possibilities to embark on a trip to noteworthy art manifestations. Biennales, Triennale’s, Encounters, you name it, have constituted an unmissable rendezvous’ for those hungry for new trends and seminal creative processes in contemporary art. When the long-standing and established Venice Biennale has increasingly dedicated pavilions to African countries, continental art events/manifestations have contributed to the actual burgeoning of contemporary African art. Some have long been established, such as the Dak’Art Biennale or Les Rencontres de Bamako, when others are a few years old. They do not subscribe to the logic of country representation – as it is the case for the Venice Biennale – and propose new formats of exhibition and artistic exchange, especially in these times which call for alternative gathering frameworks and display models. These events and their multiplicity contribute to the decentring of legitimizing hubs of contemporary art practices.

Pavillon 54 had the chance to have a chat with Greatjoy Ndlovu: born in 1993, Greatjoy is a Zimbabwean visual artist living and working in Johannesburg, South Africa. One of the most interesting emerging artists on the South African scene, Greatjoy dynamic paintings are enriched by expressive brush strokes, graphite-drawing and splashes of color. His subject matter is mostly focused on human beings: their bodies, their behaviour, and their emotions. During the past year, Greatjoy explored the impact of the pandemic on our society and created a series of works, displayed on Pavillon 54, focusing on subjects as love, affection and family.

Art world professionals and connoisseurs wait with bated breath for the annual Art Basel x UBS Art Market report each year. This report, one of the most comprehensive in the industry, provides a full assessment of the market’s performance of the previous year, allowing businesses to analyse the current state of the market, and plan accordingly for the years ahead.

The late exhibition Liminality in Infinite Space held at the African Artists’ Foundation in Lagos has revealed much of contemporary African art’s appeal for figuration and portraiture – catalogue accessible here. The show’s intention seems to be twofold. First, “this exhibition arches back to more traditional art-making practices including painting, collage, tapestry and woodcuts”. Secondly, and from a representation standpoint, “it intentionally moves away from exaggerated depictions of blackness towards sharing moments of vulnerability and unostentatious joy”. It is no surprise at a time in which the black body is subjected to all sorts of gaze, subjugation, aggression or praise.

In this next instalment of our series on the art scene in South Africa, we highlight the 7 top art destinations in South Africa that every art lover has to experience.

In the UK, everyone is excited to return to galleries this April as the lockdown rules are lifted! Whether you missed these shows in December, want to visit the new exhibitions of the season, or just want to catch up with what's still online, we've got you covered! Check out our list of the not-to-miss Contemporary African Art exhibitions in London.

The team here at Pavillon54 has recently had the opportunity to visit this wonderful country, and we’ve rounded up 7 promising artists to keep an eye on. Read on to learn more, follow, and support these artists.

How to Care for your Art Collection? You’ve done your research, selected choice artworks that match your collecting goals and tastes and have officially started your art collection. After you’ve acquired a certain number of paintings, sculptures, photographs, prints - whatever it may be - you may be asking yourself: what is the best way to care for all these artworks?

One of the biggest misconceptions about collecting art is that you must be very wealthy to do so. Collectors can obtain artworks of great quality and investment value at lower prices, and therefore not only contribute to the growth of an incredible movement of artists, but also add an artwork to their collections that is expected to grow in value.

Here at Pavillon54, one of our main missions is also to increase public knowledge about and promote the incredible assortment of artistic styles and techniques that can be found in modern and contemporary African art. We’ve highlighted seven popular art styles that are worldwide and universal, already well-integrated in the art historical canon, but are presenting it with a unique African twist. How have modern and contemporary African artists contributed to these popular artistic movements, and who are the key players? Read on to discover more!

Africa and its global diaspora have met the medium of photography in all its complexities. The popularity of photography on the continent came with the accessibility to the medium and to an array of modern commodities. Those forerunners speak to a specific moment in time and in a given context – West & Central Africa in this case.

Elections always raise hope for political change. These political transitions often imply a prologue and an aftermath in which the population lets its preferences and reaction heard, and in which (future) appointed leaders assume responsibility.

As you descend the steps into the British Museum’s ‘Africa’ wing, you are immediately confronted by a sculpture, large in scale, that resembles a swathe of draped cloth—except the piece is made from bottle tops and discarded wrappers. It is ‘Man’s Cloth’ by El Anatsui, a piece made in his distinctive wall sculpture style. So it is that this Ghanaian contemporary artist cemented himself within African Art History in the eyes of one of the Western world’s most prominent public institutions.

Limited Edition Prints: What to know when buying them? Learn about the essential information that should be kept in mind, in order to understand the long-term value of this misunderstood medium that can yet can have great value in the art market. The article covers the following topics: what are limited editions, size of the limited edition (and effect on value), First editions vs extensions, size of the edition vs size(s) of the prints, first prints sold vs last one to sell in an edition, How to get proof.

Seven female African contemporary artsist you should know in 2020. Unlike in the Western contemporary art market, top female African artists often see great success and prominence in their careers, on par with their male counterparts. In this article, we break down which seven female African contemporary artists are stealing the show, and the ones you should keep an eye on.

The influences of African art on Pablo Picasso and on various artists and movements throughout history recount fascinating stories of cultural exchange, theft, homage and colonialism. In this series of articles, Inspired by Africa, we assess the ways that some of the most famous artists in the world borrowed from African art to create some of their masterpieces. First and foremost, we visit the works of perhaps the most acclaimed artist of the modern era: Pablo Picasso.

Explore the transformative role of corporate art collections in shaping business identity, fostering workplace creativity, and supporting the art community

As auction houses establish sales dedicated to African modern and contemporary art, galleries look to diversify their rosters of artists, and the African art market continues to grow, it is important to take note of which artworks and artists are performing well. This is especially true if you are hoping to make an investment in African art. Below, we have compiled the top 10 most expensive African artists to date, highlighting which works landed them the record-breaking position, and why.

Though the Black Lives Matter movement is by no means a new initiative, the outrage and consequent protests that ensued after the murder of George Floyd earlier this year have resulted in a common expectation for brands, museums, institutions, and other businesses to respond and act. Most likely, all of us have seen some kind of news article or social media post about this issue, but how has the Black Lives Matter movement affected the arts, and more specifically the African art scene?

Article exploring the influence of African art on Jean-Michel Basquiat throughout his career and his fight against racism

A word from Dana Endundo Ferreira, Founder of Pavillon 54, about building the global technology platform for African creativity

The influences of African art on Henri Matisse and on various artists and movements throughout history recount fascinating stories of cultural exchange, theft, homage and colonialism. In this series of articles, Inspired by Africa, we assess the ways that some of the most famous artists in the world borrowed from African art to create some of their masterpieces. For the third installation of this series, we survey the works of Henri Matisse, and the African countries he took inspiration from.

For all the talk of the ‘African Art Boom’ in recent years, it isn’t always evident what this boom entails, how it came to be, or what the future of the African art market is. So how did African art come to be so ‘trendy’, and why is now the best time to start investing in contemporary African art?

Are you a collector, looking to invest in the African art market? Or perhaps you are an artist, wondering where your own work fits within the scope of contemporary African art. Maybe you’re a student, researcher, or even just a fan. No matter who you are, African art spans a whole range of countries, cultures and historical periods, and it can often be challenging to start talking about African modern and contemporary art. With so much information out there, how can you even begin your quest? Here are some simple pointers to get you started.

Read any article on African Contemporary Art, and you will find that most all will steer away from defining what exactly African contemporary art is—and with good reason. With fifty-four countries and cultures making up the continent of Africa, it is almost impossible to pin-point what ‘African’ art looks like, let alone bracket the time period for when contemporary African art began.