1-54 London, the flagship edition of the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, is returning to the Somerset House for its 12th consecutive year. The event, designed to promote art from Africa and its diaspora, will be held from 10 to 13 October and will coincide with Frieze London 2024.
Billed as the most expansive 1-54 London fair yet, the event will feature over 60 galleries, including Gallery 1957 (Accra, Ghana), Verve Gallery (São Paulo, Brazil), Amasaka Gallery (Masaka, Uganda), Osart Gallery (Milan, Italy), The Art Pantheon Gallery (Lagos, Nigeria), Cynthia Corbett Gallery (London, UK), Galerie Voss (Düsseldorf, Germany), House of Beau Gallery (Rabat, Morocco), Galerie REVEL (Bordeaux, France) and Pearl Lam Galleries (Hong Kong, China.)
‘This year’s fair will unite artists from more countries than ever before, with a significant portion new to the London edition,’ says founding director Touria El Glaoui. ‘We are excited to be emphasising artists from Morocco, Ghana and Brazil. The diversity and richness of the artworks on display reflect the dynamic and evolving nature of contemporary African art, and we are thrilled to be able to provide a platform that celebrates the talents of both established and emerging artists.’
More than 160 artists will present their work in various mediums, including painting, mixed media, photography, installation, and sculpture. Here are our highlights to look out for.
1-54 London 2024: what to see at the Contemporary African Art Fair
Esther Mahlangu
Esther Mahlangu, Untitled, 2021, acrylic on canvas, 120 x 180cm
At age ten, Esther Mahlangu started her art journey under the tutelage of her mother and grandmother, learning the craft of Ndebele mural painting. In 1991, she made history as the first woman and African to design a BMW Art Car (making her part of a canon that includes Cao Fei and Jeff Koons). The octogenarian South African artist's acrylic paintings, usually on canvas, show distinct, colourful geometric patterns referencing her Ndebele heritage and murals. Johannesburg-based The Melrose Gallery will represent her at the fair.
Rita Mawuena Benissan
Rita Mawuena Benissan
Rita Mawuena Benissan, Enter as One, 2024, tapestry embroidering on velvet, 116.8 x 190.5cm
Ghanaian-American artist Rita Mawuena Benissan explores Ghanaian culture, identity, and history by embroidering on velvet and reimagining royal umbrellas. Her work has previously been shown at the 2024 Frieze Seoul, 2024 1-54 Marrakesh, and 2022 Dakar Biennale. It will next be displayed in a solo show at the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in November 2024 and then at the Sharjah Biennial 16 in February 2025. Accra- and London-based Gallery 1957 will represent Benissan at 1-54 London.
Dola Posh
Dola Posh, Mother's Day 'Year 3', 2023, Hahnemühle bamboo-fibre papers, 74 x 64 cm, Edition of 2
Drawing from personal experiences, UK-based Nigerian photographer Dola Posh tells stories of mothers by exploring the loss of self-identity and postpartum depression, while projecting strength and vulnerability through her work. The artist is represented here by London-based Cynthia Corbett Gallery.
Rugiyatou Jallow
Rugiyatou Jallow, Floating in Time, 2023, acrylic, oil and thread on canvas, 152.4 x 121.9
Rugiyatou Jallow was born to Gambian and Swedish parents, and like many mixed-race people, she felt like she didn’t fully fit in with either side of her family. This feeling shows up in her acrylic, oil, and thread on canvas paintings that explore identity and belonging as a mixed-race woman. Jallow is represented at the fair by New York- and Los Angeles-based gallery Albertz Benda.
Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga
Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga, Envahissement 2, 2024, oil and acrylic on canvas, 199 x 188cm
Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga’s paintings, presented by October Gallery, explore the aftermath of Belgium’s colonialisation of the Democratic Republic of Congo, focusing on the country’s economic, political, and social identity.
The 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair is in London from 10-13 October 2024
-
This compact gym by Cassina and Technogym takes up less than one square metreGiulia Foscari's Ottagono becomes a compact gym created with Cassina and Technogym, which just made its debut at the Hotel du Cap Eden Roc
-
Dutch Design Awards 2025 honour a new generation of creativesRecognising the use of AI as a design tool, social commentary, and new materials, this year’s Dutch Design Awards go to Vera van der Burg; Willem de Haan; and Marten van Middelkoop and Joost Dingemans of Plasticiet
-
The return of Genghis Cohen: LA’s cult Chinese diner lives onThe 1980s Chinese-American landmark returns with red booths, neon nostalgia, and a fresh dose of Hollywood eccentricity
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors' picks of the weekThe London office of Wallpaper* had a very important visitor this week. Elsewhere, the team traverse a week at Frieze
-
Chantal Joffe paints the truth of memory and motherhood in a new London showA profound chronicler of the intimacies of the female experience, Chantal Joffe explores the elemental truth of family dynamics for a new exhibition at Victoria Miro
-
Leo Costelloe turns the kitchen into a site of fantasy and uneaseFor Frieze week, Costelloe transforms everyday domesticity into something intimate, surreal and faintly haunted at The Shop at Sadie Coles
-
Can surrealism be erotic? Yes if women can reclaim their power, says a London exhibition‘Unveiled Desires: Fetish & The Erotic in Surrealism, 1924–Today’ at London’s Richard Saltoun gallery examines the role of desire in the avant-garde movement
-
Tiffany & Co’s artist mentorship at Frieze London puts creative exchange centre stageAt Frieze London 2025, Tiffany & Co partners with the fair’s Artist-to-Artist initiative, expanding its reach and reaffirming the value of mentorship within the global art community
-
Em-Dash is a small press redefining the indie zine beyond nostalgiaThe South London publishing studio's new imprint 'Practice Meets Paper' translates a chosen artist’s practice into print. Wallpaper*s senior designer Gabriel Annouka speaks with the founders, Saundra Liemantoro and Aarushi Matiyani, to find out more
-
‘It is about ensuring Africa is no longer on the periphery’: 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in LondonThe 13th edition of 1-54 London will be held at London’s Somerset House from 16-19 October; we meet founder Touria El Glaoui to chart the fair's rising influence
-
‘Sit, linger, take a nap’: Peter Doig welcomes visitors to his Serpentine exhibitionThe artist’s ‘House of Music’ exhibition, at Serpentine Galleries, rethinks the traditional gallery space, bringing in furniture and a vintage sound system
