Afrique Nouvelle Vague: Bullets, Fetishes, Paintings, Graffiti,...: 251 W 19th St

Ethan Cohen Gallery is pleased to present Afrique Nouvelle Vague: Bullets, Fetishes, Paintings, Graffiti,..., a group exhibition of works by significant contemporary artists from the African continent. The exhibition weaves together works by Aboudia, Gonçalo Mabunda, Moffat Takadiwa, Òmó Oba Adetomiwa Gbadebo, Soly Cissé, Wycliffe Mundopa, Gresham Tapiwa Nyaude, Malick Sidibe, Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, Ouattara Watts, Vincent Michéa, Kine Aw,  Innocent Nkurunziza, and Terrence Musekiwa. These art practices when looked at as a total, give us an intimate view into the richness, innovation, and diversity of contemporary African artists today.

Western art of the past century has been inspired heavily by its interaction with African art. Modern masters from Picasso to Modigliani have furthered modernist discourse and purged decoration from art due to the influence of African minimalism they encountered from tribal artworks. Now, there is a wave of cross-pollination within Africa itself, with African artists absorbing and reinterpreting global artistic trends. Contemporary African Art is at the forefront of artistic discourse today, and with its expansion on the global stage, there is growing attention to art coming out of the region. The 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair launched first in London (2013), then New York (2015), and most recently in Marrakech (2018), bolstering the market for African Contemporary Art. Auction houses such as Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Bonhams, and PIASA have been hosting record sales of African contemporary art this past year. Ambitious institutions within the continent are increasing, and those such as Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town, the Museum of Black Civilizations in Dakar are rewriting their own contemporary art histories. Artistic hubs within Africa are engaging the communities and art scenes of the region. Top collections are investing into collecting works of the region and global institutions have begun hosting significant exhibitions of African art. Though the market and scene are growing rapidly, there is still more to discover, develop, and grow.

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Afrique Nouvelle Vague: Bullets, Fetishes, Paintings, Graffiti,... presents a selection of perspectives that reveals the variety of different artistic practices coming from Africa, from photography to painting to sculpture, to demonstrate the depth of this talent.