It’s rather redundant now to say that the art world is embracing the digital world like never before. When the world was forced into lockdown, albeit in varying degrees, auction houses, galleries, artists, curators, museums and institutions had no choice but to follow what everyone else was doing: Connecting online

“How are local galleries surviving this global crisis? I am afraid the majority—and not only the youngest ones—are already struggling,” said Merriem Berrada, artistic director of the Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL) in Marrakech. “Galleries and institutions must have a strong digital program.” The key, at least for the time being, is to forge a dynamic online presence.

Museums in Europe and North America, which have hosted an unprecedented number of shows on contemporary African art in recent years, are all closed now due to Covid-19. The many art fairs dedicated to the subject that have sprung up all over the world in London, Marrakech, New York, Lagos, Paris, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Doula, have been postponed. Like the rest of the art world, the African art scene is grappling with a loss of physicality and an increasingly, however temporary, digital world.

An Online Surge

The New York edition of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, which hosts editions also in London and Marrakech, was supposed to take place in May, but has been postponed until 2021. What’s next up on the horizon is the fair’s London edition, due to take place on 8-11 October 2020. Still reeling from having to postpone the New York edition so suddenly, the fair scheduled for May has quickly been transferred to online. Showcasing 25 galleries from around the world, it will now be held exclusively on Artsy from 6-30 May, with VIP Previews on 4-5 May. “We will see how much the galleries are selling online and then understand what works and doesn’t work.” said Fair founder and director Touria El Glaoui from quarantine in the South of France. “All of my positive thoughts are for our fair in London in October.”

“The lesson to learn from this experience is that we might need to have a digital platform as an extension to the fair,” added El Glaoui. “We still have a lot of applications for our fair in October. For the galleries post-Coronavirus, the first thing they will want to do is get out there and sell in September and October—if they are able to do so physically.”

The scene has also catered to the development of comprehensive online platforms for African contemporary art. One, Artskop3437, which launched its Database and Collecting space in December 2019 and functions as space dedicated to fostering a better understanding of Art from Africa, is presently having discussions with new galleries wishing to join the collective project since the appearance of Covid-19.

“We are also working with museums to put their permanent collections online on Artskop3437, with institutions like MACAAL in Marrakech, for example, which has been a partner in the project since last December,” said co-founders Prince Malik and Jordan. The site works with leading galleries on the continent, including Galerie Cécile Fakhoury, SMAC gallery, Espace d’art contemporain 14°N 64°W and Sakhile and me, to name a few, partnering with such names to forge an extension of their physical space. “There is an urgent need to write, structure and archive African artistic creation though Art History and digital is an amazing tool,” continued the site’s co-founders. “While the fairs help galleries to sell art over 5,000 euros, Artskop helps them sell works for less than that figure with the direct online buying tool. We consider ourselves to be a tool for art education and the African art market.”

On an institutional level, major museums on the continent are moving their collections and exhibitions online just like their counterparts around the world. In Dakar, the Museum of Black Civilizations, which opened in December 2018, is now temporarily closed, but will film its exhibitions to show on national TV and online. “Everyone in Senegal will now be able to view the museum and its exhibitions, and hear experts,” said Oumy Diaw, a communications specialist based in Dakar. In this way, one could argue that African art history is now able to be viewed by a larger public than ever before—a positive outcome of the pandemic.

Meanwhile in Cape Town, the Zeitz MOCAA is offering 3D tours of the museum in partnership with Google Arts and Culture as well as upping their YouTube channel. In Marrakech, the Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL), which opened in February 2018, is creating a special online program, which will include content surrounding their current exhibition “Have You Seen A Horizon Lately?” alongside live interviews with artists, curators, comedians and other art-world figures. In terms of community development, MACAAL’s bootcamp, conducted over two weeks, offers slots to attendees needing help with pitching ideas, project application, or specific needs, like building a business model.

Collaborative Efforts

South African blue-chip galleries like Goodman Gallery, which also has a new space in London on Cork Street, has opened its virtual doors across their locations in South Africa and the UK, offering an enhanced digital program filled with gallery exhibitions, weekly bespoke online viewing rooms, Instagram LIVE takeovers, and an online film festival. “Having served as a vital non-discriminatory space for artists during the apartheid years, Goodman Gallery will seek to draw inspiration from this profound legacy in this time of crisis,” said Goodman Gallery Director Liza Essers. “We will be re-thinking what role we can play to support and collaborate with our artists to affect social change and make a difference in this time.” The gallery has also launched a fundraising campaign selling limited-edition woven artist textiles in support of Witkoppen Health and Welfare Clinic in South Africa, a non-profit organization which services 1.3 million people across the most deprived communities in Johannesburg. The textiles are designed by gallery artists Ghada Amer & Reza Farkhondeh, Broomberg & Chanarin, Nolan Oswald Dennis, and Samson Kambalu.

Stevenson, which has spaces in Cape Town and Johannesburg, has similarly embraced the digital sphere. The gallery opened its show of work by South African painter Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi online and via Instagram for their Johannesburg space and in Cape Town they are currently exhibiting Udludlilali by Mawande Ka Zenzile. “For both these shows we’re pivoting our efforts online, working with filmmakers to give our audience the experience from home,” said the gallery’s press officer Sinazo Chiya. “Generally, we’re using the time to find other ways of making direct contact with the people in our ecosystem—we’re all in it together.”

Seeds of Hope

Against the odds of the present economic predicament and global pandemic, Sotheby’s sixth sale of Modern & Contemporary African Art (March 27-31), which had to convert quickly into its first online-only format after lockdown, was announced in the UK on March 23, realized $2,881,741 (estimate $3,587,000), featuring over 100 works from 58 artists across 21 countries.

The auction was led by Irma Stern’s Grape Packer from 1959, achieving $531,309 – well within-the pre-sale estimate $436,822-686,435. A painting by Nigerian master Ben Enwonwu, Sefi (1953) made $305,350 in its auction debut. Young star from DRC Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga’s Ko Bungisa Mbala Mibale 2 sold for $76,338 and his Ko Bungisa Mbala Mibale 3 made $53,436, proving is continued might on the market.

“The online platform has certainly allowed us to convert a live sale to online seamlessly,” said Hannah O’Leary, Head of Modern & Contemporary African Art at Sotheby’s.

“Interestingly, since the sale drew to a close, our collectors who usually prefer to bid in person or on the telephone have all agreed that bidding online was far easier than they ever imagined,” she added. “The most notable takeaway for me was the number of new buyers the online format brought: 35% of bidders in our sale were new to Sotheby’s, and almost 30% of bidders were under 40 years old. In fact, the auction saw almost 50% more bidders in comparison to the equivalent sale last year, and I am sure that accounts in part for the corresponding increase in turnover.”

While the debate is still on over whether online viewing rooms for art galleries result in good sales, the success of Sotheby’s Modern & Contemporary African Art Sale means that auctions, even when forced to work remotely, can still be highly profitable.

On the more charitable side, Arthouse Contemporary in Lagos, Nigeria, hosted The Online Charity Auction in support of Covid-19 aid, which closed at midnight on April 15. “The money raised will provide food for under-served communities in Lagos State as well as support emerging local artists during these challenging times,” said founder Kavita Chellaram.

New online ventures such as the recently launched Art and About Africa shine more light through the windows of confinement. Launched on February 20, the site aims to connect all players on the continent working in African art. Given the present crisis, it has also initiated ART: ESSENTIAL NEED, Emergency Grants for artists living in Africa.“We wanted to create a virtual connection against the physical walls of isolation and at the same time raise funds to support artists on the African continent,” said co-founder Lidjia Khachatourian who also runs AKKA Project, a gallery with branches in Dubai and Venice, with her husband.

“We asked artists to create artworks on their present state of isolation for the creation of an eBook to be sold and available on a Crowdfunding platform alongside limited-edition prints and original works from guest artists,” she explained. The money collected in exchange for the eBook, prints and works of art will serve to form the Emergency Grants, and all participating artists will benefit equally from the money raised.

The seeds of hope will grow as the art scene further adapts to the new structure that is emerging, however temporary or long lasting it will be. Art and creativity, it seems, are needed more than ever—even in the midst of the present chaos—even if just to provide hope. As Khachatourian states, quoting the famous Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky. “Beauty will save the world.”

* Profile photo of this article is a work by the artist Nengi Omuku, Funke I, 2019. Oil on Sanyan. 91.4 x 61 cm. 36 x 24 in. Courtesy the artist and Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery

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The sale returns for a Fourth Consecutive season on 2 April 2019

This April, Sotheby’s dedicated sale of Modern and Contemporary African Art will return to London for a fourth consecutive season, following a pre-sale exhibition which will run from March 29 – April 2.

Since the Inauguration of the Series, Sotheby’s has Achieved Fifty World Records in the Category Championing Artists from Across the African Diaspora and Underscoring a Rising Global Interest. The international market for Modern and Contemporary African Art is certainly heating up, with exciting conversations igniting across the field, fuelled by milestones including the opening of Zeitz Museum of Contemporary African Art and the Norval Foundation in Cape Town, growth of international art fairs such as 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London, New York and Marrakech, Art X Lagos, and of course the highly-anticipated Ghana Pavilion at this year’s Venice Biennale. Sotheby’s own entry into the field further attests the position of modern and contemporary African art firmly in the global market.

Strong results for last African art auction

Last season’s sale at Sotheby’s totalled £2.3 million ($3 million) and attracted collectors from 20 different countries. 2018s sales saw strong results for established artists including Ben Enwonwu (Obitun Dancer; £187,500/$265,744) and El Anatsui (Tagomizor; £670,000/$883,730) to rising stars like Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga, just 27 years old, whose Mangbetu soared to five times above the pre-sale high estimate (£65,000/$92,124).

This season’ insights for the African Art’s auction

This year’s public exhibition and sale will include a carefully curated collection of paintings, photographs, drawings and sculpture from across the African continent. Witnessing first-hand the growth in demand, audience and variety of works, Sotheby’s Head of Department Hannah O’Leary states:

“When it comes to Contemporary art, people are always looking for something new – a demand which absolutely lends itself to this genre. Spanning over 16 countries, a kaleidoscope of cultures and themes, and comprising the works of both established and emerging artists alike, our Modern and Contemporary African art auction remains one of the most exciting, innovative and relevant sales in the market today. African art has undergone something of a Renaissance in the past decade, signalled by rapidly developing interest from collectors across the globe. Indeed, over a quarter of buyers in last year’s sale were from the African continent but the categories collector base spans Asia, Europe, Australasia and North America, and it is fantastic to see African artists surging to the forefront of international collections, both private and public. This is therefore an incredibly exciting time to be dealing with modern and contemporary African art, and there remain some tempting opportunities for collectors to get involved. Our sale features work by some of the biggest names in the field at affordable prices, but, as these works become more and more in demand, it’s unlikely to stay this way for long. If you’re in London this April, make sure you visit the exhibition – there really is something for everyone to see”.

El Anatsui, Zebra Crossing 2, EST. £550,000 – 750,000

Sotheby’s April sale will be led by Zebra Crossing II, a bottle cap tapestry by contemporary art superstar, El Anatsui. El Anatsui has explored a wide range of media including ceramics, tropical hardwoods, milk-tin lids and aluminium bottle tops, which the artist uses to make the glittering metallic tapestries for which he is most known. The success of El Anatsui’s bottle cap works can be attributed to the artist’s ability to effortlessly manipulate the rigid metallic material in a way that creates a finished work that is robust yet malleable, luxurious and incredibly cloth-like.

El Anatsui has enjoyed several ground-breaking exhibitions such as the internationally touring show, When I Last Wrote to you About Africa in 2010. The artist’s largest survey exhibition to date, El Anatsui: Triumphant Scale, curated by Okwui Enwezor and Chika Okeke-Agulu, opens at Munich’s Haus der Kunst this week and will travel to Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha in the autumn. El Anatsui will also represent Ghana at the Venice Biennale this year alongside Ibrahim Mahama, whose work is also included in the auction.

HASSAN EL GLAOUI, LA SORTIE DU ROI, EST. £80,000-120,000

La Sortie Du Roi features the military horses and riders for which El Glaoui is famed. Speaking of his work in 2009, El Glaoui said, “My love of my country has been the defining spirit of my painting. I have recorded our ancestral roots, the flowers in the Valley of the Kasbah and the red Cherifian palaces, the royal courteges with their long lines of white burnouses and the mounted cavalry and their horses.”

A powerful celebration of his homeland, La Sortie du Roi triggers a multiple of senses in the viewer: a dusty pink palette indicative of a dry and arid climate, the ice cool shade offered by the white and blue burnouses, and the ghostly, mirage-like wisps of paint surrounding each horse which endow the painting with an electrifying whirr of movement.

Painter El Glaoui has risen to international acclaim and is credited as one of the pioneers of contemporary art in Morocco. The artist expressed gratitude to Winston Churchill for his career; during his visit to Marrakech in the 1940s, the Prime Minister convinced El Glaoui’s father, the last Pasha of Marrakech, to allow the budding artist to pursue his artistic vocation. The works of Churchill and El Glaoui have subsequently appeared together in a joint exhibition in London.

KAMALA IBRAHIM ISHAQ, PREPARATION OF INCENSE – ZĀR CEREMONY, EST. £70,000-90,000

Kamala Ibrahim Ishaq is recognised as both a pioneering member of the Sudanese art scene as well as a feminist icon and one of the most important female artists operating on the African continent today. The artist was one of the first women to graduate from the College of Fine Arts in Khartoum in 1963. Between 1960 and 1975, the Khartoum art scene was dominated by the renowned Khartoum School, an artistic movement that began in Sudan in the 1960s with the aim of creating a new visual language that reflected a newly independent Sudan. Kamala Ishaq was part of the recent exhibition at Saatchi Gallery “Forest and Spirits Figurative Arts from Khartoum School”, curated by Roubi l’Roubi.

Notable members included artists Ibrahim El-Salahi and Sarah Elmur (and works by both of those artists are included in the auction). In 1971, despite being a prominent member of the group, Kamala left and founded the Crystalist Group, advocating for a new Sudanese artistic aesthetic that was modeled on diversity and transparency. The present lot demonstrates Kamala’s interest in Sudanesespiritual processes, especially a traditional practice called the Zār Ceremony, through which the individual is rid of evil spirits. Kamala Ibrahim Ishaq’s work has been widely exhibited at renowned institutions such as MoMA PS1 (USA), the Whitechapel Gallery (UK), the Sharjah Art Museum (UAE), Smithsonian National Museum of African Art (USA), Camden Art Center (UK), among many others. Read more.

CHÉRI SAMBA, J’AIME LA COULEUR, EST. £40,000-60,000

Chéri Samba is one of the most prestigious artistic figures to emerge out of the Democrat Republic of Congo in recent years. Born in a village 80km outside of Kinshasa, Samba was one of four self-taught Congolese artists who, in a newly democratic 1970s Kinshasa, founded the movement known today as Popular Painting. The genre plays with satire, irony and humour to address everyday life in the capital including social, political and economic issues such as popular customs, sexuality, AIDS, social inequity, materiality and corruption.

Influenced by advertising in the city, the artists combine bright, bold colours with text to create politically charged conversation pieces that address viewers directly and honestly. Drawing on his past training as a comic strip and billboard artist, the artist’s work often involves text, outlining a clear message or storyline. He has gone on to exhibit at some of the world’s most prestigious institutions including the Foundation Cartier and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Sotheby’s presents a Samba’s J’aime la couleur, an unusual and dramatic example of Samba’s most iconic imagery.

EDDY KAMUANGA ILLUNGA, (B. 1991), PALM, EST. £25,000-35,000

Amalgamating both traditional and ‘popular culture’ styles, Illunga’s oeuvre reflects both the rapid modernisation of Kinshasa, Africa’s third largest city and the artist’s home town, and the resulting uncertain sustainability of the broader heritage and daily rituals of the Mangbetu people – whom form the subject of this stunning work. Understanding the present through the past is central to Illunga’s practice. The classical poses and rich drapery of the artist’s monumental figurative paintings are reminiscent of European Old Masters. Yet, the rubber flip-flops and vibrant swathes of fabrics capture Mangbetu’s craft and heritage. What’s more, electronic circuitry, the artists trademark patterning, tattoos the figures bare skin, signalling to the digital twenty-first century.

This style of painting originated early in the artist’s career, after learning that the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the world’s biggest producers of coltan, an ore strenuously mined by hand that contains tantalum – a key metal for the electronics industry. Shocked by the growing number of South African villages destroyed to exploit these mineral’s, Illunga’s microchipped figures symbolise the exploitation of both his country and its people, and the harsh reality of globalisation. With its painterly finesse, complex symbolism and powerful appeal to both eye and conscience, Illunga’s work has shot to international prominence. The sale of Palm follows the sale of Illunga’s Mangbetu at Sotheby’s in March 2018, which achieved £65,000/$92,124, storming past the pre-sale estimate of £8,000-12,000.

IBRAHIM MAHAMA, RAFIA EB X, EST. £20,000 – 30,000

Rafia EB X by Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama is an elegant wall hanging consisting of repurposed burlap jute sacks. The artist is most known for stitching together these jute sacks in order to create large textiles which are often dropped over architectural forms. Imported into Ghana from south-east Asia and then re-used for the exportation of cocoa, charcoal and other crops, Mahama’s jute sacks are synonymous with Ghana’s trade history and are used to comment on Ghana’s economic relationship with the rest of the world, starting from post-colonialization to present day.

Mahama’s work ranges from large site-specific installations to more intimate pieces such as Rafia EB X. Trained as a painter, Mahama often refers to works such as Rafia EB X as paintings, seeking to highlight the elegant form that hangs on the wall whilst also challenging the boundaries of what it means to paint. Mahama will represent Ghana at the Venice Biennale this year alongside El Anatsui, whose work is also included in the auction, in a national pavilion co-curated by the architect Sir David Adjaye.

The sale will feature also Harvest Scrolls, 1983, estimate £30 000 -50 000, a work  from Ethiopian artist Alexander Skunder Boghossian,considered as part of Creative currents of the Nile.

The Nigerian artist, Uzo Egonu, Women Reading, 1978 estimate £12 000 – 18 000 and the south African artist William Kentridge, Head (Orange), estimate £ 30 000 – 50 000, among others.

 

Modern & Contemporary African Art
Auction in London
02 April 2019
2:00 PM BST

Sotheby’s
34-35 New Bond Street
London W1A 2AA
+44(0)20 7293 5000

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