Who is Emma Prempeh?
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 […]
The use of textile in African art and 7 artists that have mastered it
What is defined as textile art is art that uses varying materials and fibers to produce decorative, artistic objects. It’s one of the oldest forms of art in history and has played a part in practical and decorative man-made objects for hundreds of thousands of years. Across the African Continent, textile art has […]
Who is Joy Labinjo?
Who is Joy Labinjo? 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, known for her talent in capturing sensitive, independent, contemplative, and vulnerable people […]
5 African LGBTQIA+ Artists Making an Impact in the Art World
As Pride Month comes to a close, 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.
Read on to discover the methods in which these artists and activists use art to bring to light the pain, vulnerability, strength and beauty of queer individuals in Africa and beyond.
Who is Victor Ekpuk?
Who is Victor Ekpuk? 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. By taking these codes and philosophies as the base for his artistic practice, Ekpuk creates his own symbolism that aims to decrypt the truths of the […]
Zaire School of Popular Painting African Modern and Contemporary Art movements: an insight.
‘Popular Painting school’: politically charged art made for the masses in the Democratic Republic of Congo From the late 1950’s, many countries in Africa won their independence back. Lasting almost two decades, Africa’s decolonization was made possible by bold political leadership, public outcry, riots and in some cases, guerrilla-style warfare. In the Democratic […]
Kojo Marfo’s ‘Dreaming of Identity’: “Artworks to create a connection with people, to be a symbol for everyone to relate to”
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 […]