Art
Keturah Benson

8 Black Art Moments You Can't Miss During Art Basel Miami 2018

Our guide to Blackness at this year's fair.

It's that time of year again. Art Basel is bringing its magic back to Miami. The annual art fair that showcases modern and contemporary art, is set to have more than 4,000 artists displaying work across all mediums. The Miami iteration of the week-long fair has become a space for artists, galleries, collectors and countless art lovers to connect, be inspired and party for the last 16 years.

Here are some Black art must-sees during Art Basel:


Art Africa Miami Arts Fair presents "Black Art Matters"

This year, the Art Africa Miami Arts Fair turns eight years-old and the theme is "Black Art Matters: It's Not A Choice." The fair will explore the role Black art has played in being an "intellectual, political and artistic rereading, trying to think of the contemporary condition of peoples that have been involved in struggles to stay human." There will be the "Art + Film" event featuring a screening of Through The Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People and " Art + Fashion" a dance party where attendees are the art. Art Africa Miami Arts Fair was founded by visionary and architect, Neil Hall, with not only the intention of showcasing Black art but to celebrate the community that birthed the festival, Overtown. The community that was once called "Colored Town" during the Jim Crow era also became a cultural hub in Miami. The fair has also been credited with amplifying Black Art in Overtown during Art Basel Week.

Zina Saro-Wiwa—Table Manners

Nigeria-born and Brooklyn based artist, Zina Saro-Wiwa, created the video series "Table Manners" that explores the " performative practices of food consumption as indispensable to the imagination of belonging in West Africa." It features Ogoni people eating Nigerian dishes like Roasted Ice Fish and Mu , Sorgor Salad with Palm Wine or Garden Egg and Groundnut Butter. Each video is minimal but colorful, creating an intimacy between the eater and the viewer. Saro-Wiwa said, "A powerful exchange takes place when one not only eats a meal but watches a meal being consumed. One is filled up with an unexplainable and potent metaphysical energy that we normally pay no attention to." The work is a highlights the eating practices with cultural specificity and what it says about self.


PRIZM Art Fair 2018

PRIZM Art Fair, has become one of the leading showcases of international artists from across the African Diaspora and emerging markets at Art Basel. This year, programming comprises of events like PRIZM Film which includes screening of Life is Fare a film that explores three different perspectives of Eritrea and PRIZM Panels that will tackle everything from redlining to the meaning of art. They will also be presenting two exhibitions curated by PRIZM Founder and Director, Mikhaile Solomon and artist William Cordova that are steeped in futurism. Cordova's exhibit will explore the connections between futurism, ritual and the folkloric.Solomon's will focus on re-appropriation, reclamation and creating an inclusive future. Read: 5 Black Artists You Can't Miss at PRIZM


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PUSH

Liberian-American and Philadelphia based artist, Keturah Benson, will be presenting PUSH, a live interactive experience she said,"tears the veil between the artist and the audience." Instead of showing the glamorous finished product of a piece, Benson wants to showcase the often uncomfortable and grueling creative process. After attending Art Basel last year, she immediately began prepping and creating for this one. Whether it was leaving a 9-5 job, scrapping ideas or losing a venue for an exhibit, Benson captured it all. She will be showcasing three works: "The Self-Love Project", "The Quiet Place" and "I Create The Filter." Benson said, "The key is to remember you are not alone in this process, we spend a lot of time on social media comparing ourselves and this whole show is based around transparency.The goal is to motivate artists to push through."

"AfriCOBRA: Messages to the People" Opening Celebration

"AfriCOBRA: Messages to the People" is an exhibition presented by the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami (MOCA) to celebrate of America's longest running artist collectives. AfriCOBRA is a black artist collective that began in 1968 in Chicago. They looked to explore the Black aesthetic and defined it during The Black Arts Movement. This year, the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the collective. There will be a meet and greet with Curator Jeffreen M. Hayes and the founding members of AfriCOBRA. Artists like Napolean Jones- Henderson, Barbara Jones-Hogu, Carolyn Mims Lawrence and more. They will be discussing their work with AfriCobra as well as their current works.


Zanele Muholi

Zanele Muholi

South African photographer and visual activist, Zanele Muholi, has spent more than a decade documenting the lives of the LGBTQIA community in South Africa. She will be exhibiting some of her works that span from black and white portraits to colorful displays of individuality.Read an interview with Zanele Muholi

Allison Janae Hamilton's PULSE Miami Special Project: Sweet milk in the badlands.

Allison Janae Hamilton is a multi-disciplinary visual artist. Her work comprises of photography, video, sculpture, installation and even taxidermy. The Kentucky-born and Florida raised artist will be presenting Sweet milk in the badlands. at PULSE. The photo series explores landscape and its role in our understanding of the past and the present. It is described as a look "toward ritual, storytelling, and trance in search of the connections between landscape and selfhood, place and disturbance. It invites an uncanny cast of haints to lead the viewer through the beginnings of an epic tale that animates the land as a guide and witness."


Serge Attukwei Clottey at UNTITLED Miami

Based in Accra, Ghana, Serge Attukwei Clottey is a Ghanaian artist with a broad discipline in sculpture, drawing, performance and video.

His work showcases and explores the power and presence in everyday objects. Clottey is known as the creator of "Afrogallonism"—a creative practice that sits at the intersection of environmental and social justice. He took the highly prevalent yellow gallon containers in Ghana and turned it into art that not only is a critique on overconsumption and an exploration of restoration. Catch Clottey showing work with Ghana's Gallery 1957 in Booth C7 at UNTITLEDMiami.

Photo: Ayanfe

Ayanfe’s Scribbling Art Creates Beauty out of Imperfection

The Nigerian artist, who works across various media, found her voice through scribbling, and has now created a clothing brand to speak more to the values and ideals she holds.

26-year-old Ayanfe Olarinde, who goes by her first name, immortalizes a contemporary moment in time with her scribbling art. A process that turns crooked lines into something meaningful, her work is a metaphor that she believes relates to life, and the ability to embrace flaws and fractures, and turn them into feats of expression.

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Art
Photo Credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Abducted Chibok Girls Honored In Heartwarming Exhibition

An exhibition was recently launched to honor the 108 Chibok girls who were abducted by Boko Haram in 2014.

Eight years after Islamist insurgent group Boko Haram abducted 108 Chibok girls, their memory lives on with a new exhibition.

Titled "Statues Also Breathe," the exhibition, which will be on display until February 4th 2023, features the faces of the girls who are still missing sculpted into clay. It is a poignant tribute to the victims and their families. The project is a collaborative effort spearheaded by French artist Prune Nourry, 108 university students from Nigeria, professional potters, and families of the victims.


The sculptures are currently displayed at the Art Twenty One gallery in Lagos, Nigeria, and are inspired by ancient Nigerian Ife terracotta heads, an artistry style that represented a large and diverse array of vessels depicting human, animal, and otherworldly subjects.The sculptures of the Chibok girls recreated the facial expressions, hair patterns of the victims in a way that is both vivid and memorable.

To bring the project to life, families of the missing girls shared pictures of their daughters for accuracy.

"People who will see the show I hope will remember is for the importance of girls' education then the fact that sculpture can personify someone and catch the breathing life and the symbol of someone, of life. Then it's also about the collaboration, how together we can make more and maybe the fact that it will travel around Africa but also around the world and how we can keep bringing the light on something that might be forgotten and shouldn't be because it will always be a priority," Nourry told Africa News.

When the Chibok girls were mass abducted in 2014, the incident triggered a global outrage that instantly made the slogan #BringBackOurGirls trend on social media.

Approximately 160 girls were recovered over the years following the tragic incident, but not everyone was returned. Since then, the stories of the Chibok girls have seemingly faded from the headlines, but the sculptures are a reminder of the agony that still looms over the families and loved ones of the victims.

In a conversation with Africa News, Habibat Balogun, the Lagos Coordinator for the Bring Back Our Girls movement said that the sculptures were an unforgettable reminder of the kidnappings.

"It's a permanent reminder that happened, we had a period in our history in Nigeria where women, boys, men, children were taken away, some were recovered, some are still displaced till today, some are still in captivity," said Balogun.

The sculptures are expected to embark on a world tour in the future.

News Brief
Photo by Fabrice Mabillot.

Angélique Kidjo Will Receive 2023 Polar Music Prize

The Beninese icon will receive the prestigious award for her notable work in music, as well as her charitable work advocating for children.

Angélique Kidjo will be the recipient of the lauded Polar Music Prize this year.

The Beninese-born, five-time Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter has been announced as a recipient of the prize this year alongside Island Records founder Chris Blackwell and composer Arvo Pärt.

“My passion for music has always been unwavering,” Angélique mentions in a statement about being awarded the prize. “Being on stage for me is like being in paradise — it’s my sanctuary. It’s my place to link and to connect with my fellow human beings. That is something that I’m grateful for every day.”

The Polar Music Prize notes that they are honoring Angélique for her striking blends of West African and Beninese elements with R&B, funk, jazz, and more. They also note her work advocating for children as a UNICEF and OXFAM Goodwill Ambassador. Angélique also has her own charitable foundation, Batonga, dedicated to supporting the education of young girls in Africa.

Angélique has spoken with OkayAfrica several times about her albums like the recently Grammy-nominated Queen of Sheba alongside Ibrahim Maalouf and her last solo full-length album, Mother Nature.

“To be awarded the Polar Music Prize is humbling,” Angélique continues, “I have no words to say how important this is for me. It comes with a sense of responsibility that is bestowed upon me as an artist to continue to do great work. I will do my best to be a proud recipient of the prize through my work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, on behalf of the children, and as an ambassador of music, to help create a world in which we can all live in peace. Thank you so much for making me part of this prestigious prize, in such prestigious company.”

“Angélique Kidjo is an inspirational artist, she constantly explores and challenges and is one of the greatest singer-songwriters in international music,” adds Polar Music Prize managing director Marie Ledin in a press statement. “We are thrilled to be recognising her talent and shining a light on her important work with the Batonga Foundation.

Since it started in 1992, the Polar Music Prize has celebrated the achievements of the world’s inspiring music figures. The prize is presented in Stockholm, with each Laureate receiving approximately $57,000 in prize money.

Previous recipients of the Polar Music Prize include Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Miriam Makeba, Stevie Wonder, Elton John and more.

News Brief
Photo by Nipah Dennis.

VP Kamala Harris Signals US Should Invest in Africa

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has embarked on a three-country tour to reset economic relations between the United States and West Africa.

The United States’ Vice President Kamala Harris has embarked on a weeklong, three-country tour to Ghana, Tanzania and Gambia. The purpose of the trip is to reset the relationship between the U.S. and the three countries. The Biden administration would like to encourage American businesses to invest in African nations to compete with China’s and Russia’s growing economic footholds on the continent.

On Monday, Harris visited Ghana’s presidential palace, also known as the Jubilee House. She promised $100 million in U.S. aid to support Ghana and four other West African countries in curbing instability brought on by insurgencies in West Africa and the Sahel region.

"To help address the threats of violent extremism and instability, today I am pleased to announce $100 million in support of Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire and Togo," Harris said at the news conference with Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo.

This amount is in addition to the $139 million in bilateral support that the U.S. intends to provide to Ghana in 2024, according to Harris’ office and reported by Reuters.

Also involved in West Africa is the Russian private military contractor Wagner Group. The mercenary group with Russian state ties provides security assistance to African nations struggling with insurgencies like the ones Harris pledged assistance to combat. In exchange, Wagner secures agreements for Russia's African interests in natural resources, commercial contracts, and access to strategic locations, such as airbases or ports.

With regard to Wagner’s presence in West Africa, Akufo-Addo said, "It raises the very real possibility ... that once again our continent is going to become the playground for great power conflict.”

China has been heavily involved in Africa’s economy over the last two decades — investing in resources like mining, timber, and fishing, and building infrastructure. The Biden administration is aiming to encourage American competition by strengthening ties with African nations and promoting socio-economic development on the continent. The trip is also intended to fulfill the commitment that the administration made to African countries in the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in December of last year.

Politico reported that Harris’ visit carries high stakes and heavy scrutiny because her primary task will be to convince African leaders that the U.S. wants to invest in their economies earnestly.

The decades-long public perception has been that the African continent has become a playground for handouts and charity from western governments, a political and economic oversight the Biden administration has been attempting to rectify. Harris’ arrival in Africa marks the administration’s most recent efforts to achieve that.

Earlier this year, U.N. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited the continent, First Lady Jill Biden visited in February, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the trip earlier this month. President Biden plans to visit later this year.

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