As Africans we are enriched with culture that ought to be celebrated and not suppressed internationally. As the world begins to evolve. African Art has reached the heart of so many people and organizations globally which has created a limitless art, that has no boundaries and involves a range of artistic cultures, styles, forms, and traditions to be immensely appreciated. African art is so diverse thanks to the vast geographical area the Continent lies and its distinct cultures. From the West to the North to the East to the South and central; each of these zones has their unique cultures which had been expressed through art.
African art didn’t just start today. History has it that creative art and expression have their roots in the African continent. Artifacts, ancient pigments, and shell beads were discovered over 80,000 years which proves that Africa has always been creative. However, African Art has taken a considerable number of years to be globally accepted.
The evolution of African Art has been by the continuous creativity and innovation of artists which has gained global attention and in turn brought tourism and exchange into the continent. Also, digital platforms ahs had a huge role to play in exhibiting African art through the use of social media, online galleries, and visual exhibitions.
Mediums of Contemporary African Art
African art is not just confined to its old medium of expression such as wood, Stone, and clay but has come in a wider range of themes and mediums. Such as digital art, music, literature, Performance art, fashion art, body art, etc. These mediums have created a form of authenticity in African art through clothing choices, languages, and nomenclatures which has enabled African artist to present their stories, experiences, and visions to a global audience. These stories depict colonization, globalization, social inequalities, gender dynamics, environmental crises, and poverty.
International Collaboration with African Art
Collaboration between African and International artists is mostly found in the fashion industry and other industries that involve aesthetics; some of these project collaborations which has gained a global audience and have been successful are;
Monogram Multicolore
This project was a successful international collaboration between African Takashi Murakami and Louis Vuitton which is a French luxury fashion company. Murakami infused a radical, playing spirit into Louis Vuitton’s works. Its first creation for the fashion house was exhibited on the spring/summer 2003 runway. Monogram Multicolore would spring out a generation of creativity. Marc Jacobs who was the creative director of Louis Vuitton describes the works created as “a monumental marriage between art and business”. This became a commercial success and stood the test of time at the same time opening doors for more collaboration
BMW 525i/1991
The fusion of art and automobiles was brought about by French racing driver Hervé Poulain. The principle of the fusion was simplicity; commissioning a renowned artist to design a BMW racing car with their creativity. BMW 525i was designed by Esther Mahlangu from South Africa. Her designs relate to the way South Africans decorated their household; this was known as the Ndebele Pattern. This design was one of a kind in the art car series.
Nike Air Force 1
This is a collaboration between South African Artist Karobo Poppy and Nike to produce an Air Force Collection. This collection is inspired by African roots and culture and is centered around two themes..the first is the vibrant color seen in African beaded bracelets while the second centers around the beauty saloon posters found along the street of Johannesburg.
Sacred Art of the Ori
Laolu Sebanjo, A Nigerian Artist has received global recognition for his creative body art. His work depicts his Yoruba Heritage from Africa and his art is influenced by artists of African roots such as Fela Anikulapokututi, Sade Adu, etc. Recently Laolu collaborated with Beyonce on her album “Lemonade” through his art. The Sacred Art of Ori is a type of ritual art said to invoke spiritual intimate experience. Apart from Beyonce’s lemonade Laolu has gotten recognition from global brands such as Nike.
The landmark auction
This is an auction that is a fusion of modern and contemporary African art. The auction is influenced by the collaboration of a Paris-based auction house; Piasa and an African-based auction house; Aspire to introduce an auction that is African-focused. This is the first time an African auction house will be collaborating with a European auction house to sell African Art in Africa to a global audience. The collection for the auction involved 198 slots, that featured 139 artists representing 27 African countries.
1-54
This is an international art fair in Europe that focuses on contemporary art from Africa. It was founded by Touria El Glaoui in 2013. The name 1-54 is derived from the number of countries in the African continent. The fair is said to host international exhibitors with a presentation of artists working across various mediums of art such as painting, sculpture, photography, etc. 1-54 has patterned with the likes of Christie and Nnando which has enabled the fair to gain a large global audience.
The success of African Art and its international Collaboration is beyond admiration, these collaborations have paved the way for African art to be accessible for distribution and showcase. African art in its way has disrupted the king-standing Eurocentric standard to something more colorful and traditional. It has also in turn led to the growth of African art and its culture which has created a continent of economic development and creativity.
Reference list:
Aspire & Piasa collaborate for an unprecedented sale of African art – art Africa magazine (2020) ART AFRICA Magazine – Contemporary Art from Africa And The Diaspora, Painting, Sculpture, Writing. Available at: https://artafricamagazine.org/aspire-piasa-collaborate-for-an-unprecedented-sale-of-african-art/ (Accessed: 29 January 2024).
Bmw (2023) The history of BMW’s legendary art cars, The history of the legendary BMW Art Cars | BMW.com. Available at: https://www.bmw.com/en/design/history-of-the-bmw-art-cars.html (Accessed: 29 January 2024).
Candice (2022a) 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair’s surprising partnership, Lux Magazine. Available at: https://www.lux-mag.com/1-54-contemporary-african-art-fairs-surprising-partnership/ (Accessed: 29 January 2024).
Crowie, K. (2020) Laolu Senbanjo’s intricate and sacred art of the ori, Beautiful Bizarre Magazine. Available at: https://beautifulbizarre.net/2016/10/27/laolu-senbanjos-intricate-eye-catching-creations/ (Accessed: 29 January 2024).
Kagan, E. (2022) Takashi Murakami X Louis Vuitton: The fashion collaboration that defined a generation, Sothebys.com. Available at: https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/takashi-murakami-x-louis-vuitton-the-fashion-collaboration-that-defined-a-generation (Accessed: 29 January 2024).
Nseribe, N.C. (2023) Qazini. Available at:https://www.qazini.com/african-art-defying-global-perceptions-in-a-cultural-renaissance (Accessed: 29 January 2024).
