1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair has announced the 45 galleries from 19 countries exhibiting at its seventh London edition, taking place at Somerset House, 3-6 October 2019 (preview on Wednesday 2 October).

As part of the programme of 1-54 Special Projects, the fair is partnering with Somerset House to present an exhibition of new and celebrated works from one of South Africa’s most prominent contemporary artists, Mary Sibande, which will run through to 5 January 2020. Kerryn Greenberg, Head of International Collection Exhibitions at Tate, has been invited to guest curate the 1-54 FORUM talks programme for the first time and will focus on the legacy of Nigerian curator Bisi Silva.

Among the exhibitors this year are 16 galleries from Africa: Addis Fine Art, AFRONOVA GALLERY, AGorgi, Circle Art Gallery, Galerie Cécile Fakhoury, Gallery 1957, Guns & Rain, Kalashnikovv Gallery, L’Atelier 21, Loft Art Gallery, Mashrabia Gallery, Selma Feriani Gallery, SMITH, SMO Contemporary Art, Ubuntu Art Gallery, WHATIFTHEWORLD.

Of the 45 exhibitors, 15 galleries will be welcomed to the London fair for the first time including, Catinca Tabacaru Gallery, Claire Oliver Gallery, espace d’art contemporain 14°N 61°W, Galerie Ernst Hilger, Galleria Anna Marra, Guns & Rain, The Hole, Kalashnikovv Gallery, Luce Gallery, Mindy Solomon Gallery, Nil Gallery, Sakhile & Me, SMITH, Tabari Art Space and Ubuntu Art Gallery.

Nine solo exhibitions have been announced: Louisa Marajo (espace d’art contemporain 14°N 61°W), Alexandria Smith (Galleria Anna Marra), Godfried Donkor (Gallery 1957), Prinston Nnanna (The Hole), Anton Kannemeyer (HUBERTY & BREYNE GALLERY), Chourouk Hriech (L’Atelier 21), Michaela Younge (SMITH), Ibrahim El Salahi (Vigo Gallery), Mohau Modisakeng (WHATIFTHEWORLD).

Don’t miss out C& Artist’s Editions project! As part of its C& Artist’s Editions project of specially-commissioned works by collaborating artists, C& will present a series of works by Kapwani Kiwanga, which reference the French colonial urbanist Hubert Lyautey’s proposition that a measurement of 500ft should be placed between native and European areas. He did so during the International Congress of Urbanism in the colonies which was held in Paris, France in 1931 in conjunction with the Colonial Exhibition taking place in the city.

For the seventh year in a row, 1-54 London will be accompanied by 1-54 FORUM, the fair’s extensive talks and events programme, including artists talks, film screenings and panel discussions with international curators, artists and cultural producers. 1-54 FORUM will be curated for the first time, by curator Kerryn Greenberg, Head of International Collection Exhibitions at Tate. 1-54 FORUM at 1-54 London 2019 is dedicated to the formidable Nigerian curator Bisi Silva (1962-2019), founder of the Centre of Contemporary Art (CCA) Lagos who championed women artists and experimental artistic practices, prioritised research, publishing and pedagogy, and nurtured the next generation of artists, curators, writers and art historians in Africa. Over the course of four afternoons, 1-54 FORUM will bring together many of the people who benefitted from Silva’s wise counsel and unwavering support, to continue the conversations she was at the centre of before her untimely death in February 2019.

Find the full 1-54 FORUM talks and events programme here

1-54.com