As part of its special projects, London’s 2026 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair at Somerset House (15-18 October) will spotlight modernist artists from Africa and the diaspora.
Titled ‘West Wind’, the 1-54 Presents initiative takes its name from the 1966 song of the same title by Miriam Makeba, the legendary South African singer, songwriter and civil rights activist. The project is curated by Johannesburg-born South African-Portuguese art historian and researcher Nancy Dantas. It will celebrate the work of pioneering modern artists like Alexander ‘Skunder’ Boghossian, Bertina Lopes, Gerard Sekoto, Kofi Antubam, Sam Joseph Ntiro, Papa Ibra Tall and Uzo Egonu, presented by Hannah O’Leary Fine Art; Baya and Rafik El Kamel, presented by Selma Feriani Gallery; and Ibrahim El-Salahi, presented by Vigo Gallery.
'As we prepare for our 14th edition, I have been reflecting on how differently we understand artists when we place them within the histories they helped to shape, rather than at their margins,' says Touria El Glaoui, the founding director of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, in a statement. '“West Wind” allows us to look back with greater precision and to see the present differently. By bringing these generations into conversation, this edition places African artists where they belong, as authors of modern and contemporary art.'
Speaking of getting history right, writer and curator Folasade Ologundudu will present ‘(Re)Casting the Canon: From Lagos to London’, promoted as supporting the next generation of critical arts and culture writers to bring the hidden histories of African and African diasporan people into cultural discourse. The research-led initiative seeks to explore how contemporary African art history is shaped through collective memory, reflection, and writing via multi-day writing labs and a pop-up exhibition.
Moroccan artist Hassan Hajjaj, known for his colourful portraits and multimedia art that blends Moroccan culture with contemporary pop art and fashion influences, will present ‘My London Rockstars’, featuring a new generation of artists, musicians and designers shaping the city’s contemporary cultural scene, including Jorja Smith, Slawn and Central Cee.
Kianda Contemporary Art Project, a Johannesburg based art centre and curatorial studio will present work from the 1950s generation to the present day by artists based in Angola and in the diaspora, alongside artists from countries whose influence has been significant for the Angolan scene, which is influenced by colonial and post-independence contexts Mario Tendinha, Yola Balanga, Teresa Kutala Firmino, Alice Marcelino, Ia Sueki and Benigno Mangovo, with guest artists Levy Pooe (South Africa), Beré Magalhães (Brazil) and Emmany Koto (DRC). The Marcos Jinguba-curated exhibition is titled ‘Angola, Angolé, Angolema’, taken from a poetry collection by Angolan Arlindo Barbeitos.
A fifth project to look forward to is ‘Commodity/Couture’, a sensory installation that traces Ghanaian cocoa from farm to finished product, and the value that disappears in between, by Midunu Institute, an Accra-based cultural organization, founded by Ghanaian chef, author and artist, Selassie Atadika, and dedicated to Africa’s culinary heritage and food systems through research, cultural practice and craft.
The Talks Programme is a must-attend and will include panels such as an exploration of African Modernism with Nancy Dantas, The Future of African Art Collecting with Strauss & Co, a celebration of Addis Fine Art’s ten-year anniversary, Contemporary African Art After the Spotlight: Visibility, Value and the Institutions Still to Come, the book launch of Ô Cameroon! Modern and Contemporary Art and Artists From 1925 to Now by Ozong Agborsangaya-Fiteu, The New Institutional Moment: African Art After Visibility with Oliver Enwonwu, and Creatives, Collaborators and Catalysts: Contexts and Challenges of Championing Congolese Culture with The Defise Foundation.
As usual, there will be lots of artworks to see by contemporary artists from Africa and its diaspora, presented by 40 galleries including first timers such as 16/16 (Nigeria), 193 (France/ Italy), Addis Fine Fine (Ethiopia), Affinity Gallery (Nigeria), Ellephant (Canada), Errm Art Gallery (Saudi Arabia) Filafriques (Switzerland/ Cote D’Ivoire), First Floor Gallery Harare (Zimbabwe), Gallery Misr (Egypt), LIS10 Gallery (Italy/France/Hong Kong), Maya Art Space (Lebanon) and THK Gallery (South Africa/Germany.)
1-54 London 2026 will be held at Somerset House from 15 to 18 October 2026
