The 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, launched in London in 2013, has grown into a recurring platform that showcases work from Africa and its diaspora across three cities: London, Marrakech, and New York. Each edition brings together galleries, artists, collectors, and institutions, creating a space where artistic practice meets market dialogue.
Overview of the 2025 New York Edition
The New York iteration, held from May 13 to May 17 2025, featured more than 20 exhibitors representing 12 countries spread over five continents. Over 45 artists were presented, reflecting both a strong continental presence and an expanding diasporic network.
- Adegbola Gallery (Lagos, Nigeria)
- FILAFRIQUES (Geneva/Abidjan, Switzerland/Côte d’Ivoire)
- kumalo | turpin (Johannesburg, South Africa)
- Tanya Weddemire Gallery (Brooklyn, USA)
- Aura (São Paulo, Brazil) – new participant for 2026
- Black Pony Gallery (Bermuda)
- The Current (Nassau, Bahamas)
These figures are drawn from the fair’s official exhibitor list and press release (1‑54, 2025).
A Market That Goes Beyond Visibility
Over the past decade, contemporary African art has secured a stronger foothold in biennials, museum acquisitions, and private collections. Yet heightened visibility raises a pressing question: how to sustain interest beyond fleeting trends?
1‑54 addresses this by fostering long‑term relationships between galleries operating in different markets. The 2026 edition, for example, balances returning participants with newcomers such as Aura, Black Pony Gallery, and The Current, signalling a growing transatlantic exchange.
Structural shifts are also evident in the fair’s leadership. Black‑owned and women‑led spaces—including Galerie Myrtis (Baltimore) and Kates‑ferri Projects (New York)—are increasingly represented, indicating a shift not only in who is shown but also in who shapes the field.
Material, Process, and Layering
Painting remains a central medium at 1‑54, though artists often stretch its conventions. Aaron Kudi, for instance, builds surfaces by layering acrylic, collage, printed matter, and found objects, allowing images to emerge gradually rather than through a single gestural stroke.
Many works foreground process, weaving together personal, historical, and cultural references without forcing them into a singular narrative. Dede Brown’s structured compositions exemplify this approach, placing abstraction alongside figurative elements to invite multiple readings.
Historical continuity is also acknowledged. The inclusion of senior practitioners such as Chéri Chérin and Marcel Gotène situates contemporary experimentation within longer artistic lineages, creating a dialogue between past and present.
Thinking Through the Diaspora
One of the fair’s defining characteristics is its treatment of diaspora not as a fixed identity but as a fluid space of movement and exchange. Artists represented hail from more than 20 countries, spanning the African continent, the Caribbean, the United States, and Europe.
Candice Tavares and Maxwell Taylor, for example, navigate multiple cultural terrains, often embedding divergent geographies within a single canvas. Their work illustrates how belonging, memory, and displacement can be explored through overlapping, rather than uniform, perspectives.
Brazil Beyond Brazil
The 2025 New York edition introduced a special focus titled “Brazil Beyond Brazil,” curated by Igor Simões. This marked the fair’s first dedicated presentation of Afro‑Brazilian practice.
Brazil holds the distinction of being the largest Black nation outside Africa and a pivotal node in the transatlantic diaspora. Historically, its artistic output has been viewed through narrow or external lenses. The featured artists—Rommulo Vieira Conceição, Lidia Lisbôa, and Jaime Lauriano—challenge those constraints by engaging with archives, questioning established art histories, and reworking contemporary visual languages.
Their contributions demonstrate that Afro‑Brazilian production extends far beyond familiar tropes, offering nuanced critiques of race, history, and visual culture.
Conclusion
1‑54 continues to serve as a vital conduit for contemporary African and diasporic art, balancing market exposure with deeper institutional and relational building. By highlighting material experimentation, diasporic dialogue, and region‑specific projects such as Brazil Beyond Brazil, the fair offers a model for how art platforms can sustain relevance beyond momentary trends.
References
- 1‑54 Contemporary African Art Fair. “New York Edition 2025 Press Release.” May 2025. https://1-54.com/ny2025-press
- Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report 2024. Chapter 4: African Art Market Growth.
- Simões, Igor. Curatorial statement for “Brazil Beyond Brazil.” 1‑54 Catalogue, 2025.
- Tanya Weddemire Gallery. Exhibition archive: Moses Salihou, “Dreamlike Feeling,” 2026.
