Discovery and diversity are the key words of this must-see spring event in Paris, which combines regional exploration of European art from the post-war period to the present day with a cosmopolitan look at emerging world creation..

For its 21st Art Paris edition, with forty-six solo shows (compared to thirty-six in 2018), 150 galleries (compared to 143 in 2018), 44% of new entries, 20 countries represented (including, for the first time, Cameroon, Bulgaria and Peru), the 2019 selection shows a strong move up the range. Favouring a thematic approach and open to all artistic media, Art Paris once again cultivates its difference, that of being an international fair turned towards discovery that focuses on the European stages from the post-war period to the present day while exploring new horizons of international creation whether they come from Asia, Africa, the Middle East or Latin America.

Women artists in the spotlight

Curated by AWARE: Archives of Women Artists, Research and Exhibitions, the 2019 edition presents a critical and subjective overview of the work of women artists in France.
25 specific projects by women artists will be selected from amongst the exhibits of participating galleries. This selection is divided into four themes: Abstraction, the Feminist Avant-Garde, Image and Theatricality. AWARE has also been invited to write a critical essay that situates each artist’s work in its historical context.

AWARE – Archives of Women Artists, Research and Exhibitions aims to produce, index and distribute information about 20^th century women artists – was co-founded in 2014 by art historian Camille Morineau, who specialises in women artists. She is also the director of exhibitions and collections at the Monnaie de Paris.

Among the list of women artists chosen by AWARE, we note the presence of the Franco-Malagasy artist Malala Andrialavidrazana presented by the Caroline Smulders gallery. Originally from Madagascar, Malala Andrialavidrazana (born in 1971) has lived in Paris since the early 1980s. The artist has made a name for himself through his photographs, which explore the links between personal history and cultural identity, intimacy and universality, and highlight the contrast between the perception of the world by the West and the countries of the South. In her series of Figures works, which she began in 2015, the artist explores the possibilities of collage to question the visual heritage of the colonial era and its impact on our perception of the world. By superimposing fragments of images from different periods such as ethnographic engravings, banknotes, record covers, etc., she tackles the subjects of otherness, cultural mixing or the need to question preconceptions from a “Eurocentric” imagination. It thus proposes a form of decolonization through images, all in allusion and poetry.

An exploration of Latin American art with the “Southern Stars” section

In 2019, Art Paris is setting out to explore Latin American artfrom the 1960s to the present day. Around twenty European, Asian and Latin American galleries are presenting an ensemble of 60 Argentinean, Brazilian, Chilean, Colombian, Cuban, Mexican, Peruvian and Venezuelan artists. In parallel, other projects such as a video programme, installation artworks, the presentation of works by Latin American women artists from the collection of Catherine Petitgas and conferences at the Maison de l’Amérique latine will highlight the creative effervescence that reigns on the continent.

*Southern Stars: An Exploration of Latin American Art is curated by the independent exhibition curator Valentina Locatelli, who is based in Switzerland.

As part of the celebration of Latin America, Art Paris also hosts a selection of works by South American artists from Catherine Petitgas‘ private collection. Entitled “Amazons”, this exhibition brings together women artists from the countries of the Amazon basin, mainly from Brazil (Beatriz Milhazes, Maria Nepomuceno, Rivane Neueunschwander, Lygia Clark, Anna Bella Geiger), Colombia (Liliana Angulo, Beatriz González, Nohemí Pérez), Peru (Sandra Gamarra, Ximena Garrido-Lecca), Venezuela (Lucia Pizzani and Sol Calero) and whose work focuses both on female identity, particularly among ethnic minorities, and on the tropical aesthetics of these regions rich in biodiversity and whose ecology is threatened.

*Catherine Petitgas is a London-based collector and art historian specialising in modern and contemporary art, with a particular focus on Latin America.

We invite you to read our article on the Southern Stars section and Catherine Petitgas' collection here

A historical and current journey through the Latin American scenes

Galleries spread throughout the fair’s different sectors invite visitors on a journey of discovery through Latin America’s different scenes, considering them from both a historical and contemporary point of view.

Galería Freijo is focusing on two historical figures from the Mexican scene, abstract sculptor and co-founder of Stridentism Germán Cueto and Felipe Ehrenberg, a leading light in the field of Mexican conceptual art in the 1970s. Numerous galleries are showcasing the work of the proponents of geometric abstraction from the 60s and 70s, including Carlos Cruz-Diez(Venezuela), Ivan Contreras-Brunet (Chilli), Darío Pérez-Flores (Venezuela) and Marino di Teana (Argentina). Women artists are also in the spotlight with solo shows featuring Leonor Fini, a surrealist painter born in Buenos Aires (Weinstein Gallery/Galerie Minsky); Mexican artist Carmen Mariscal, whose work addresses questions of gender and female stereotypes (Ana Mas Project); and Sandra Vásquez de la Horra, a Chilean artist who is the subject of a mini-retrospective at the Wooson Gallery featuring her drawings that touch on questions of sex and religion.

The Cuban scene is the subject of a group exhibition at the Xin Dong Cheng Gallery, which brings together six artists from different generations: Manuel Mendive, Raúl Martínez, Adonis Flores, René Francisco Rodríguez, Michel Mirabaland Yunier Hernández Figueroa.

Two galleries Nosco and Galerie Younique are showcasing the young Peruvian scene with emblematic figures such as José Carlos Martinat and José Luis Martinat, two brothers who are famous for their installations that question the past and the present of post-colonial societies. La Balsa Arte (Bogota/Medellin) is presenting a dialogue between the works of three figures from the Colombian scene with drawings (Juan Osorno), paintings (Julian Burgos) and installation art (Luis Fernando Peláez), whereas Galería Solo/Eva Albarran & Christian Bourdais has given over part of its space to Carlos Amorales, a major figure on the Mexican scene who works in different media such as video, installation art, photography and paper.

A particularly well represented African art scene 

For this 2019 edition of Art Paris, several galleries also present artists from African art scenes…

Among them: Galerie Dominique Fiat exhibits the works of Nicola Lo Calzo, Hardy Sy, Rachid Koraïchi (Algeria), Safâa Erruas (Morocco), but also several artists from Benin: Emo de Medeiros, Dominique Zinkpé, Cyprien Tokoudagba ; Galerie ARTCO – presents the works of Marcelo Brodsky, Marion Boehm, Justin Dingwall (South Africa) ; Galerie Capazza will exhibit the works of Francis Limérat (Algeria) ; Galerie MAM – Boris Nzebo, Hervé Yamguen (Cameroon), Ngimbi Luve (Congo), Oumar Ball (Mauritania), Ousmane Niang (Senegal) ; Galeria Filomena Soares – Kiluanji Kia Henda (Angola); Galerie Chauvy – Soly Cissé (Senegal); So Art Gallery – Morran Benlahcen (Morocco), Kabbaj Houda; Finally Galerie Claire Gastaud exhibits the works of Jean-Charles Eustache (Guadeloupe), and many others…

With such a complete program Art Paris 2019 is definitely the must-see event of spring in Paris !

ARTSKOP3437 official media partner of Art Paris Art Fair 2019

For more information on the 2019 edition of Art Paris, please consult the following links:  : 

→Art Paris Art Fair highlights women artists from Latin America

→ Official website of Art Paris Art Fair

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BRUNEAF has always had at heart to transmit and share its passion for non-European arts; it therefore seemed as essential as it was natural for the members of the association to support these initiatives, by organising every year in Sablon, in the heart of Brussels, fairs of primitive arts, essential meetings gathering merchants, collectors, scientists or quite simply amateurs of this field of art that is often difficult to name, so many names: primitive, primordial, first, tribal arts, etc. BRUNEAF also launched from 2007, during the June fairs, the organisation of non-commercial thematic exhibitions of a cultural nature, accompanied by illustrated catalogues and in collaboration with private collectors and museum institutions such as the Tervuren Museum.

We would like to warmly thank Didier Claes of the eponymous gallery, Pierre Loos of the Ambre Congo gallery, Alexandre Claes, Olivier Castellano of the eponymous gallery, Tommaso Vigorelli of the Dalton Somaré gallery, the Renaud Vanuxem gallery, Thomas Bayet, Johanna Dréan, Céline Poizat and Milena Migueres from NONFICTION agency. 

© Copyright Artskop3437 – Art Powerhouse for Africa, crossing times and borders. 2019

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An increasingly large contingent within Investec Cape Town Art Fair is made up of prominent galleries from around the globe. These galleries represent exciting, established and emerging artists with a presence in museums, biennials, and important private collections around the world. International galleries returning to the Fair are:

• Perrotin (Paris)
• Galleria Minini (Brescia)
• Galerie Cécile Fakhoury (Abidjan)
• Galleria Continua (San Gimignano)
• Circle Art Gallery (Nairobi)
• Officine dell’Immagine (Milan)
• Gregor Podnar (Berlin)
• First Floor Gallery (Harare)
• Tyburn Gallery (London)
• October Gallery (London)
• Galleria Giovanni Bonelli (Milan)
• Addis Fine Art (Addis Ababa)
• Afriart Gallery (Kampala)
• ARTCO Gallery (Aachen)
• Caroline Smulders (Paris)
• THIS IS NOT A WHITE CUBE (Luanda)
• Sulger-Buel Lovell (London)
• Galerie Pascal Janssens (Ghent)
• Art First (London), MOVART (Luanda)
• THIS IS NO FANTASY (Melbourne).

There is also an influx of international galleries participating in Investec Cape Town Art Fair for the first time:

• Templon (Paris)
• MAGNIN-A (Paris)
• LOOM Gallery (Milan)
• Ayyam Gallery (Dubai)
• Retro Africa (Lagos)
• Lia Rumma (Milan)
• LKB/Gallery (Hamburg)
• Omenka Gallery (Lagos)
• Montoro12 Gallery (Rome)
• Eduardo Secci Contemporary (Florence)
• Art Twenty One (Lagos)
• Apalazzo Gallery (Brescia)
• Barbara Paci Galleria d’Arte (Pietrasanta)
• Nil Gallery (Paris)
• Cellar Contemporary (Trento)
• ELA – Espaço Luanda Arte (Luanda)
• NOMAD Gallery (Brussels)
• Sitor Senghor (Paris)
• Louis Simone Guirandou Gallery (Abidjan)
• Matter Gallery (Toronto).

Investec Cape Town Art Fair serves as the hometown fair of local galleries with a significant international presence. ICTAF 2019 will see new presentations by leading South African galleries including Goodman Gallery, Everard Read CIRCA, Stevenson, SMAC Gallery, WHATIFTHEWORLD, Gallery MOMO, SMITH, and Blank Projects. Alongside their presentations at ICTAF these galleries, each of whom are pillars of the art scene in Cape Town and South Africa at-large, will form a captivating programme of exhibition openings and events to coincide with the Fair.

Tomorrows/Today, the section of the Fair which aims to place a spotlight on emerging and under-represented artists, will be curated by Fair Curator Tumelo Mosaka. The artists presented in Tomorrows/Today are positioned to be tomorrow’s leading names in contemporary art. The presentations in the section have continued to be thought-provoking and experimental since its inception at the 2016 edition of the Fair. Tomorrows/Today reiterates the Fair’s support of artists who may otherwise be overlooked by the art market.

The second iteration of the SOLO section, will explore the effects of the digital world on artistic production and our lived realities. Each edition of SOLO aims to present a more in-depth insight into the artistic practices of a varied selection of artists than is commonly found in the commercially-driven art fair setting. The selected artists have varying aesthetics and contexts, are situated in different stages of their careers, and have unique perspectives on each edition’s thematic focus.

Artskop3437 is an official partner of Investec Cape Town Art Fair (ICTAF)

See the full exhibitor list here

© Investec Cape Town Art Fair (ICTAF) 2019

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Ornate 19^thcentury combs from the Democratic Republic of the Congo on loan from a renowned African art dealer. Art direction by the visionary curator of a young contemporary art gallery; photography by one of the rising stars she represents. Three models and one inspired winter day in a Paris studio.

These creative and material forces come together in “Kisanola by Djeneba Aduayom,” a riveting series of portraits, four of which debut this week at the Brafa Art Fair in Brussels. Black models with crowns of natural hair radiate a deep and knowing power: each is adorned with the combs and shiny gold objects, looking love-ready, battle-ready, ceremony-ready, world-ready. The images are ethereal, at once vintage, contemporary and futuristic.

The idea for the photo-series came from Brussels-based curator Marie Gomis-Trezise. She recently founded Galerie Number 8, which represents emerging artists whose work examines identity, representation and the human condition. While browsing at Brafa last year, she came across the vast collection of Didier Claes, owner of the eponymous gallery celebrated for its exquisite collection of African art. A revelation begat a vision.

“I had an aversion to African antiques because I associated them with the colonial grab in Africa and had seen them bastardized so often in popular culture,” Gomis-Trezise explains. “But when I saw Didier’s collection, I was stunned. The beauty and power of the objects is overwhelming.” 
She knew immediately that she wanted to work with him on a series of images shot by a contemporary photographer, using traditional African art. She approached Claes, who loved the idea and proposed using combs from the DRC for the shoot.

“I couldn’t say no to this adventure. My personal collection also includes works by contemporary artists that meld seamlessly with the older pieces. I feel strongly that the mixing of ancient and contemporary art is logical and wise. It is a surprising combination that works perfectly.” Claes remembers.

For the shoot, Claes chose several combs in the Chokwe, Yaka, Luba and Lélé styles from Central Africa. The intricate carvings atop the combs reflect their prestige and the elaborate tastes and customs of the members of high society who used them. Carved from a single piece of wood, they feature decorative motifs, figurative themes and symbolism. For example, the number of teeth indicate the status of the society with which the comb is associated, and geometric incisions and engraved patterns carry coded messages.

“Kisanola by Djeneba Aduayom” celebrates the combs as instruments in the keeping of those cherished exchanges and of the culture hair upholds.

The choice of combs for the shoot – as opposed to masks or other traditional African objects – was significant. In many African societies, the doing of hair is highly important and involves an intimate exchange between the stylist and the styled. And the hairstyle itself is as much about beauty as it is about identity, culture and status. “Kisanola by Djeneba Aduayom” celebrates the combs as instruments in the keeping of those cherished exchanges and of the culture hair upholds.

“My vision was to create something sculptural and modern using these amazing artefacts. I was inspired by the details in the wood figures. The combs are part of a rich, ancient cultural tradition and I wanted to add a modern twist to the mix.” Djenaba Aduayom

The photostory takes its name from kisanola, the Lingala word for comb, and its French-Togolese photographer, Djeneba Aduayom. A former dancer, Aduayom’s photographs maximize the expressive power and beauty of the human figure. For Kisanola, her eye for mood and grandeur defines each image. Aduayom recalls, “My vision was to create something sculptural and modern using these amazing artefacts. I was inspired by the details in the wood figures. The combs are part of a rich, ancient cultural tradition and I wanted to add a modern twist to the mix.”

It was Aduayom who introduced the metal wire to the models’ styling “to create simple structures with the hair and combs, securing the combs, but also creating a ‘sculptural cage’ for them,” she said. “The metal adds shine and sophistication because gold is by nature associated with prestige, elegance, something of value.” She also liked the contrast created by the wood of the combs and the metal.

“For me personally though, the project became a kind of reconciliation with African antiques.” Marie Gomis-Trezise

Aduayom has always had a very personal and contextual relationship to African artefacts that shows in the honorific way she incorporated them into the portraits. She grew up surrounded by her mother’s extensive collection of African objects and knew intimately the history, provenance and significance of each. “African objects are a part of my heritage,” she says.

For Gomis-Trezise that emotional connection was forged in producing the shoot. “The idea was to make something beautiful, a sort of rediscovery and reconsideration of things that have always been around us,” she said. “For me personally though, the project became a kind of reconciliation with African antiques. It gave me a chance to interact with their beauty and culture and appreciate up close how important they are and how crucial it is to protect them, even return them to Africa.”

Although all parties to the collaboration set out foremost to make something beautiful, they have given us far more than that. Kisanola is an artistic testament to the timelessness and staying power of a people and a culture. As Claes notes: “Although African art was established years ago, it continues to inspire us.”

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Created by Victoria MANN in 2016, AKAA is the first Contemporary Art and Design fair in Paris, France, that highlights connections of the “Global South”. AKAA explores links between the African continent and others artistic scenes from all over the world that claim a link to Africa or that are inspired by Africa. For the AKAA 2018 a major art installation by Susana Pilar, specially designed for the fair, was presented by Galleria CONTINUA. The contemporary artist from cuba explores her family history and specially her Sino-African roots, a subject that deeply characterizes her work: the black woman and self-consciousness.

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