You must purchase a Fair ticket for the same day as your talk. All talks take place in The Screening Room and commence promptly at the scheduled time, so please arrive five minutes before the start to avoid disappointment.
11.00 - 12.00
SHARJAH BIENNIAL 16: TO CARRY AQUEOUS KIN
Natasha Ginwala and Amal Khalaf, co-curators of the upcoming Sharjah Biennial, elaborate on their curatorial thinking with a focus on oceanic geographies connecting the Gulf, with coastlines in Africa and South Asia; cultural continuities, migratory sonic ecologies, diasporic memory keeping, as well as infrastructures surrounding water bodies. This session highlights Biennial participating artist Cassi Namoda, whose visionary oeuvre engages Lusoafrican narratives, itinerant mapping of mythologies, matrilineal histories and equatorial life in the aftermath of colonialism.
Panelists: Natasha Ginwala and Amal Khalaf (Co-curators of the upcoming Sharjah Biennial) and Cassie Namoda (Painter)
14.00 - 15.00
ARTFUL MOTHERHOOD: NAVIGATING CREATIVITY AND THE INFLUENCE OF PARENTHOOD ON ARTISTIC PRACTICE
Cynthia Corbett Gallery presents an 'In Dialogue' talk featuring Chicago-based painter Ashley January and UK-based photographer Dola Posh, moderated by Charmaine Beneyeto. This discussion will delve into the unique experiences and challenges of balancing motherhood with a creative career. January and Posh will share how motherhood has profoundly influenced their artistic practices, exploring the intersection of art and parenting. Join us for an engaging conversation on how these artists navigate their dual roles and how their experiences as mothers enrich their creative expressions.
Moderator: Charmaine Beneyeto (Founder of CB-Art Advisory)
Panelists: Ashley January (Painter) and Dola Posh (Photographer)
15.30 - 16.30
BRIDGING CULTURES: PROMOTING AFRICAN ART IN THE ASIAN MARKET
Join us for an insightful panel discussion featuring Pearl Lam, a prominent art gallerist in Hong Kong and Shanghai; Alimi Adewale, a Nigerian contemporary visual artist known for his paintings sculptures and installations and Alayo Akinkugbe, a writer, art historian and curator known for her Instagram account A Black History of Art and podcast A Shared Gaze.
Following the recent debut on the Asian continent at Christie's Hong Kong, 1-54 is pleased to host, 'Bridging Cultures: Promoting African Art in the Asian Market', which will delve into the opportunities and challenges of promoting African art and culture within the rapidly growing Asian art market. African art is a diverse expression of the continent's rich cultural heritage, reflecting the unique histories, beliefs, and social structures of various communities. Each region showcases its own artistic traditions, with Nigerian art standing out due to its vast cultural diversity and dynamic blend of traditional and contemporary forms. The panelists will explore cross-cultural exchanges, market dynamics, and the shifting perceptions of African art in Asia, offering a multifaceted view of this evolving landscape.
Panelists: Pearl Lam (Gallerist), Alimi Adewale (Artist) and Alayo Akinkugbe (Writer, Art Historian, Curator)
17.30 - 18.30
WAVES OF CHANGE: ARTISTIC JOURNEYS FROM NIGERIA TO BRITAIN
Join us for an engaging discussion moderated by Professor Paul Goodwin, featuring exhibition curator Dr. Louisa Uchum Egbunike and a panel of distinguished artists: Obi Okigbo, Chike Azuonye, Dr. Ade Ogundimu, Lara Ige-Jacks, and Dr. Hassan Aliyu. The conversation will explore the central themes and creative processes underpinning the exhibition, beginning with Uzo Egonu’s pioneering practice and delving into Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy’s illustrious career, which flourished after her move to the UK in 1975. The panel will discuss the artists' navigation of their dual heritage, examine the historical ties between Nigeria and Britain, and celebrate the diverse cultures and landscapes of both identities.
Moderator: Professor Paul Goodwin
Panelists: Dr. Louisa Uchum Egbunike and a panel of distinguished artists: Obi Okigbo, Chike Azuonye, Dr. Ade Ogundimu, Lara Ige-Jacks, and Dr. Hassan Aliyu
16.00 - 17.00
ARTIST ALEXIS PESKINE IN CONVERSATION WITH CURATOR KATHERINE FINERTY
Join the conversation between Alexis Peskine and Katherine Finerty as they unpack the ideas behind the artist’s work and new solo exhibition Forest Figures at October Gallery. Finerty has a deep interest in research-based, socially engaged practices and global contemporary art; Peskine’s new work is inspired by his multiple residences around the world, exploring the experiences of Afro descendants and Africans by depicting figures that evoke nature, spirituality and abundance.
Panelists: Alexis Peskine (Artist) and Katherine Finerty (Tate Project Curator, Writer & Educator)
17.30 - 18.30
TUNJI ADENIYI-JONES AND EKOW ESHUN IN CONVERSATION
We are pleased to announce a talk between the British-Nigerian artist Tunji Adeniyi-Jones (White Cube, Nicelle Beauchene Gallery, Moran Moran Gallery) and the broadcaster, curator, and writer, Ekow Eshun on the occasion of the release of the publication Tunji Adeniyi-Jones - Encounters published by Neuendorf. The book is the first comprehensive monograph on Adeniyi-Jones and provides an overview of his practice over the past eight years, culminating in his participation in the Nigerian Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024. It includes an essay by Ekow Eshun, as well as a Q&A between the artist and Osei Bonsu, Curator of International Art at Tate Modern in London. In the conversation, Adeniyi-Jones and Eshun will talk about exploring a distinctly African cultural heritage through painting in a global context, with a focus on religion, family, and spirituality as critical themes of that exploration.
Panelists: Tunji Adeniyi-Jones (Artist) and Ekow Eshun (Broadcaster, Curator and Writer)
Prior to this talk there will be a book signing with Tunji Adeniyi-Jones at 17.00 in the 1-54 Bookshop.
11.00 - 12.00
EMERGING BLACK ARTISTS AND THE GLOBAL ART ECOSYSTEM
This panel follows a 30-minute screening of John Campbell’s Who’s Behind Black Art, a four-part documentary series that explores the lives of five young Black emerging artists from Good Black Art. It delves into the struggles these artists have endured from a young age to the present, their triumphs, their candid experiences with racism, their battles to get where they are today, and their work. Our panelists will discuss the global interest in emerging Black artists and the best ways to support and sustain their careers, ensuring that Black art is not seen as a fad but rather as a genuine paradigm shift that embraces creativity from diverse cultural perspectives and eradicates gatekeeping.
Moderator: Sharon Walters
Panelists: John Campbell (Director of Who’s Behind Black Art), Emmanuel Unaji (Artist), Àsìkò (Artist)
13.00 - 14.00
IN-CONVERSATION: ABE ODEDINA AND LARA PAWSON
Join artist Abe Odedina in conversation with author and journalist Lara Pawson, hosted by Ed Cross Gallery (booth E10, where Odedina presents For Crying Out Loud).
Pawson has long been an ardent admirer of Odedina’s work; her recently published and highly acclaimed book Spent Light (2024), about intimacy and domestic objects, shares both themes and a sensibility with Odedina’s solid, self-aware practice and philosophy about ’the authority of objects’. The duo in conversation promises to be richly interdisciplinary, mutually illuminating each other’s specialisms.
Panelists: Lara Pawson (Author and Journalist) and Abe Odedina (Artist)
14.30 - 15.30
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE REGIONAL ART ECOSYSTEM AROUND THE HORN OF AFRICA AND RECENT MARKET CHALLENGES FOR NICHE GALLERIES FROM THE CONTINENT WITH THE FOUNDERS OF ADDIS FINE ART
Rakeb Sile and Mesai Haileleul founded Addis Fine Art eight years ago with the goal of spotlighting artists from the Horn of Africa and its diaspora, uncovering the region's overlooked art history, and contributing to development of the local art ecosystem. In this discussion they will discuss the gallery's growth and impact, address the current state of the market for small to mid-sized galleries from the African continent and global South, and consider how new collaborative ways of working will become increasingly critical to galleries' ability to survive and thrive in challenging conditions.
Moderator: Carrie Scott (Founder Seen.art)
Panelists: Rakeb Sile and Mesai Haileleul (Co-Founders and Directors of Addis Fine Art)
16.00 - 17.00
ART AS A TOOL FOR CHANGE: THE POTENTIAL OF CONGOLESE CONTEMPORARY ART ON THE GLOBAL ART STAGE
This discussion will delve into the contemporary art scene in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), exploring the various actors at play, including artists, curators, art schools, galleries, museums and foundations, working to nurture Congolese art at home and abroad. It will focus predominantly on the aesthetic and didactic richness of contemporary Congolese art often documenting and relaying present day and past environmental, post-colonial and socio-economic challenges in the DRC. The conversation will also discuss the challenges and opportunities for artists and art professionals from the DRC at home, within Africa and within the greater international art arena.
Moderator: Rebecca Proctor
Panelists: Adriana La Lime (Sotheby’s), Dana Endundo Ferreira (Pavillon 54), Maryse Aoun Naaman (Africell Impact Foundation), Alain Nsiona Defise (The Defise Foundation)
