On view at Christie’s Hong Kong from
March 26 – 30 March 2024, Coalescent Lights marks the third iteration of the
1-54 Presents exhibition series initiated by 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, following successful editions in New York and London. As its inaugural exhibition in Asia, the show reflects 1-54's enduring commitment to exploring innovative collaborations, reimagining exhibition formats, and serving as a platform for global discourse on contemporary African art. Since the founding of
1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair by
Touria El-Glaoui in 2013, the fair has significantly contributed to the institutional and market recognition of African artists.
Coalescent Lights, curated by
Kami Gahiga, draws on conceptual threads from across multiple generations of artists and mediums. It spotlights distinct works by luminaries who have graced the walls of 1-54 at different stages of their careers and left a lasting mark at the fair.
Inspired by French-Cameroonian curator
Simon Njami’s advocacy for a nuanced understanding of contemporary African art, the exhibition emphasises its transdisciplinary nature. Njami’s vision of the contemporary as “multi-dimensional and constantly in motion, refusing confinement and categorisation”, underscores the exhibition’s impetus in spotlighting the diversity of themes and concerns within contemporary African art [1].
The exhibition unfolds in five thematic parts: tradition, spirituality and ancient knowledge interwoven with personal and cultural memories; the relationship to intimacy and the body; environmental and material boundaries; translocation and the ephemeral, culminating with concerns over representation and visibility across mediums.
[1] Art Absolument, Simon Njami: ‘’The Outsider’’. Revue Noire (2013).
Exhibited artists:
Omar Ba, Ouattara Watts, Tesfaye Urgessa, Ibrahim Mahama, Virginia Chihota, Baya, Ibrahim El-Salahi, Barthélémy Toguo, Wura-Natasha Ogunji, Joël Andrianomearisoa, Tariku Shiferaw, Seydou Keïta, Edson Chagas, Zanele Muholi, Prince Gyasi, Tadesse Mesfin, Cornelius Annor, Cheikh Ndiaye, Aboudia, Dalila Dalléas Bouzar, Joana Choumali, Sanaa Gateja, Abdoulaye Konaté, Moffat Takadiwa, Samuel Nnorom, Serge Attukwei Clottey, Youssef Nabil
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sales@1-54.com.