Life Echoes Art: Frieze week at 1–54
It’s that time of year again, October marks the most important month of London’s art calendar as the galleries look to align their fairs, shows and exhibitions with the infamous Frieze week! October has become London’s excuse to fill life with art; with everything from outdoor sculpture parks to immersive multi-screen short films. Amongst the array of visual demonstrations, I have decided to highlight my VIP experience at 1–54’s 11th African art fair. The fair featured a total of 62 exhibitors, presenting the work of over 170 artists from Africa and Her diaspora. This was all on display at Somerset House, for the viewing pleasure of Londons art scene, but for one weekend only, fortunately, I visited the show on 3 occasions, including an exclusive press previewing on Thursday night.
Having visited this show last year I felt I knew what to expect but the range of raw talent and craftsmanship was overwhelming! Yet again I found myself pleasantly surprised with the truly fresh perspectives found uniquely in African artists. Most exciting of all, were the untraditional mixed-media artists that were purely interested in making images and telling stories. These exceptional craftspeople boasted in their ingenuity, creating masterpieces with often overlooked materials challenging viewers to reframe their perspectives. So much of the work at this years show avoided common labels and confronted me with new understandings of mediums and alternative methods of execution.
During my ventures through each gallery, I stumbled across an artist that truly epitomised the energy of the fair, his name; Alexis Peskine. Being in the presence of Peskine’s portrait series can only be described as a moment of true joy. Completely fixated on these prize pieces, my attraction to the different raised surfaces and layers of colours grew stronger and stronger. Whilst marvelling at the artwork I was joined by one of the October gallery exhibitionists, who spoke to Peskine’s unique practice. She informed me of how the image was created with the precise injection of oxidised nails into a base of mahogany wood stained with indigo, turmeric, and coffee. As if I needed to understand why I had never seen anything as magnificent as this. There was a perfect harmony between the physical forms of iron and wood in combination with the intrinsic auroras stains that Peskine haloed his subjects with. Their piercing eyes had the capacity to find you throughout the gallery space and even seemed to notice as you gravitated to the next piece. I returned to see this piece twice across the weekend, it’s fair to say these portraits were my favourite.
I also wanted to mention the Kenyan oil painter April Kamunde, whose 3-part series titled ‘Sometimes this is how we therapy’ created a similar trance but with a completely different quality. Kamunde has an amazing way of capturing the essence of both light and shadow on her subjects and in their environments. This practice was evident across all three pieces and in doing so, Kamunde gives a nostalgic quality to each piece. I did not ask if that was the desired intention, but for me, the paintings appeared to be from the point of view of her inner child. A child hiding in plain sight; sometimes up in a tree, sometimes playing in grass, but constantly peering at her adult self. Another special moment was noticing the different paces that can be found within a single painting. For example, the moment captured in the second installment is one of stillness and reflection, in what appeared to be a idyllic Kenyan paradise. In stark contrast to that stillness, there was a sense of growth and life throughout these beautiful gardens as the plants and flowers strived to show off their full glory. You could almost hear the leaves rusting and grass swaying side-to-side with each blissful gust of wind breathing through the painting. Whilst staring into the piece, I could imagine how desperately the shadows tried to mimic the fluid forms of the branches, even if just for this split second. I could imagine how quick the sun would be to pour light into each crevice and onto every surface it could find. Then finally, just as I thought I’d absorbed all the details Kamunde had to offer, I discovered dialogues hidden within the grass. She had masterfully placed her inner thoughts there in plain sight for all to look at but only for a few to see.
Given this art fair was a semi-permanent installation, it was really encouraging to find that 1–54 had partnered with Mr. Eazi’s to create an immersive album listening environment. Mr. Eazi’s multi-sensory experience was titled ‘The Evil Genius’ and opened with a written poem, followed by 10 listening stations, all of which were supported by paintings as a visual echo to each song. This was dope. As someone previously unaware of Mr. Eazi’s upcoming release, this was a particularly effective way to build intrigue. As a side note, I’ve since gone on and enjoyed the album in its entirety and I would encourage any readers to do so too.
This experience also pointed my curiosity towards current art fair frameworks and the fact that artistic expressions like music, film and fashion are often excluded. I fear by gatekeeping the visual arts we miss out on the magic that happens in the combining of practices. Back in April of this year, I was fortunate enough to also visit the African fashion show at the V&A and I can only imagine the impact of a contemporary African fashion show was to happen within this art fair. Wishful thinking? Maybe, but I believe all the arts have an incredibly important role to play in the edification of our continent on the global scene. Hopefully, exhibits like The Evil Genius provide a sense of viability for future cross-media productions.
Overall, this was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, the 11th London edition surpassed my recollections of last year's fair. The increased visibility of this year's fair meant that it felt particularly accessible; especially to younger audiences, with parents getting free tickets for their kids. My prayer for the next generation is that have increased exposure and regular access to art like this. I truly love that our artists continue to spearhead the exploration both of self and community as members of the global diaspora through their art. A further wish is that the ever-increasing African middle class will look at fine art as a valuable asset. The more we document our experiences, the more valuable our experiences become and the impact of that will be felt in every facet of our lives. There are thousands of African cultures that have been carefully curated through the generations that need to be preserved and celebrated; 1–54 showed us a glimpse of what that could look like. Upon leaving the fair I felt a great sense of responsibility to ensure that this is not an exercise practiced on occasion, but that African art is exhibited, discussed and recognised around the world and through the year.
For now, I have fond memories and a fresh breath of inspiration to hold onto as I look forward to seeing what 1–54 put together for the North African and Arabic market at the Marrakech Fair.
Thank you for reading and God bless,
Ekuban, E. (2023)
