Two cultural events played out on the continent over the holidays. Both called attention to the growing global influence of Africans across creative disciplines e.g., art, music, fashion architecture. The launch of Amoako Boafo’s Ghana Residency and Chicagoans Vic Mensa and Chance the Rapper’s launch of the Black Star Line Festival in Accra were global attended events. Joining Boafo was his Chicago gallerist Mariane Ibrahim.
Both these events bring to mind FESTAC 77, the 2nd World Festival of Black and African Arts, a global Black diaspora event held in Lagos, Nigeria in 1977. It was the second global event of its kind and the largest. Pigment recently hosted a Salon Talk with Dr. Yaounde Olu who was in attendance at FESTAC 77. Other Black art luminaries in attendance included Bettye Saar and Jae Jarrell of AfriCOBRA, who curated the festival’s fashion events, and Chicago photographer Kofi Moyo.
In 2022 Pigment Magazine won its second Ozzie Award for Best Cover Design featuring the work of Lagos based artist REWA. The influence of African artists in the global arena continues to proliferate and look for Pigment International to report more as we prepare to attend the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, the leading international art fair dedicated to contemporary art from Africa and the African diaspora. 1-54 Marrakech will be the fourth edition in Morocco, after a three-year hiatus, and will take place from 9-12 February 2023 (Press preview 9 February).
The 2023 Marrakech edition will welcome 20 exhibitors, including eight galleries from the African continent (four of which are based in Morocco), and 12 galleries which will participate at 1-54 Marrakech for the first time. Newcomers to Marrakech include Foreign Agent (Lausanne, Switzerland), HOA Galeria (Sao Paulo, Brazil), La Galerie 38 (Casablanca, Morocco), Mmarthouse (Johannesburg, South Africa), Superposition Gallery (Miami Beach, USA), and TEMPLON (Paris, France).
Click READ MORE below to see the full press release and works from exhibiting artists below.
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Maya Inès Touam, Ananas&Joujou, 2020, fine art print on Hahnemühle paper, Ed. of 3 +2AP. Courtesy of Gallery THIS IS NOT A WHITE CUBE. |
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Abdulrazaq Awofeso, Makurube, 2022, Pallet wood, acrylic paint, 19 x 13.6 x 3 cm. Courtesy of Ed Cross Fine Art. |
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· Mous Lamrabat, Love at first sight, 2018, Fine art print, Inkjet print, Paper Hahnemühle Photo Rag Ultra Smooth 305g. Courtesy of Loft Art Gallery.
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Mariam Abouzid Souali, Equilibrium II Ard, 2021, Acrylic on canvas, 130 x 118 cm. Courtesy of Galerie Cécile Fakhoury.
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ARTISTS SHARE HOW FACING FEARS, FAMILY, GRATITUDE AND THANKFULNESS CAN LEAD TO IMPROVED MENTAL HEALTH
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Psychologist and photographer Dr. Obari Carman joined visual artists Santana “Edo” White and Blake Lenoir at Artist on the 9ines in the Mahalia Jackson Corridor along 79th Street in Chicago. The trio spoke about the highs and lows in their lives, turning points that spurred them to action and how showing vulnerability as a Black man can be fraught with challenges. Gratefulness was a recurring theme for White who starts each day writing down specifics of the things he is grateful for. He also has regularly scheduled appointments with his psychologist.
Pictured above - Artist Eddie Santana “Edo” White, Pigment founder Patricia Andrews-Keenan, artist Blake Lenoir, Cassiopeia Sledge, co-founder of the Black Mall and Dr. Obari Carman following the Salon Talk on art and mental health. at Artists on the 9ine.
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What a joy walking into Tony Smith’s, aka Lovelace, artist loft in Chicago’s South Loop. It was filled to the brim with an eclectic mix of artworks, cameras, mementos, flea market finds including a metal pig, and of course his amazing photos. His studio | gallery is a wondrous place. He has been in the space for more than 20 years and says it is as much home and his actual home.
Smith is a photographer/filmmaker, and photography instructor and also shoots short documentary film projects, featuring iconic African American Artists. One of his favorite films on the Black Arts Movement in Chicago, is “Black is Beautiful.” This documentary film/solo exhibition features reflections on the cultural, racial, political and historical significance of creating the Wall of Respect.
Thanks for giving Pigment International a tour. And if you’re interested in purchasing one of Tony’s amazing photos we have a few on our walls at Art on the 9ines, 735 E. 79th Street.
Read more about Tony’s Chicago upbringing, career and influences here.
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Photographer Tony Smith in his atelier above, and a few items from his extensive collection below.
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FOREVER ARTFUL - RAISING A GLASS TO ARTIST, EDUCATOR AND CULTURE KEEPER FELICIA GRANT PRESTON
Felicia Grant Preston is a visual artist and retired art educator whose work is rooted in pure abstraction and an electric color palette. Instead of focusing solely on her signature style, her work takes shape around moments when her ideas take form in printmaking, collage, charcoal, and textile. She is a co-founder of the 35 year old Sapphire & Crystals art collective which mounted an exhibition at the Bridgeport Art Center this past summer. Our best to her on her 70th birthday. Her sculptor son D. Lamar Preston is pictured below offering a toast.
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Art on the 9ine continues with our partners Bop Biz and Black Mall.
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Amoako Boafo’s Launch of Ghana Residency Was a Reminder of the Country’s Growing Arts Scene |
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· Black Art & Culture Expo 2023, February 1 – March 31, Mahogany Gallery, Racine, Wisconsin |
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Visit Our Artists on the 9ine Collection
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Black is Beautiful 24x36 Acrylic on Canvas Original by Kristen Williams is available here or at Art on the 9ines .
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PIGMENT INTERNATIONAL IS SUPPORTED BY |
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New to Pigment International and our multi-media platform? Learn more:
Pigment International™ is a Black women founded and run multi-media arts platform reporting on the art, people, issues, trends, and events shaping Black contemporary art and examining the linkages connecting historical and contemporary Black art. Founded in 2018 in Chicago, Pigment serves as a connector within our community of Black creators, collectors, curators, investors, and other stakeholders. We are conveners, bringing together the Black art ecosystem for inspiring, cross generational dialogue. We are the publishers of Pigment Magazine and founders of Black Fine Art Month®. Follow Pigment International on FB and IG. See our Annual report here. At Pigment International we tell stories!
Pigment International publishes the following. Pigment Daily, a three time per week digital newsletter of original and aggregated Black art news content; The Pigment Newsletter is a weekly Constant Contact newsletter with original content; ART, a monthly digital newsletter of original content specifically about artists issued via ISSUU and Pigment Magazine, a glossy magazine printed annually.
Pigment International also hosts exhibitions, our signature Salon Talks, and other events created to foster conversation about the Black Fine Art aesthetic. We are also the founders of Black Fine Art Month held each October. Pigment International is a unique voice with a unique focus on the Black Fine Art aesthetic.
We welcome collaborations and especially writers, e-mail us at pigmentintl@gmail.com
Photo by Saint the Good Boy.
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5400 S Hyde Park Blvd., Chicago, IL 60615 |
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