Ghameli

When   El Anatsui's   biggest-ever indoor   art   piece was unveiled in October at   London’s   Tate Modern , it was emblematic of how he continues to inspire   African artists . As the renowned Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama wrote on   Instagram , the 79-year-old fellow Ghanaian   sculptor   and 2023   Time   100 honouree “paved the way for a generation of artists like myself and many others”. Titled  Behind the Red Moon  (until April 14, 2024), the site-specific installation is a Hyundai Turbine Hall commission curated by Osei Bonsu and Dina Akhmadeeva, Tate Modern’s  curator  of international art and assistant curator of international art, respectively. The founder of the  Accra  and London-based Gallery 1957, Marwan Zakhem, told STIR that he was “incredibly moved” to see the Tate opening, adding that he “couldn’t be prouder” of its significance and how it adds to “all real moments of contempora...

In recent years, African art has become very popular in galleries and museums, and across the global art market. For his solo museum debut, Amoako Boafo wanted to interrogate the space African artists could -- and should -- occupy, so he created a site-specific work that responds to the questions that get raised over hype about art from the continent. ‘Deep Pink Sofa’ shows a crossed-legged individual with a calm and confident look staring into what can be said to be a camera. Once Boafo's exhibition at the  Contemporary Arts Museum Houston , (CAMH) where it's currently on view closes, the artwork will be disassembled, never to be featured again. Created for the moment, it has a lasting message. "I think a lot of people talk about tables, chairs, and sofas and I think they all have the same idea about sitting and relaxing, joining the table,” Boafo tells  OkayAfrica . “Whatever is happening to African contemporary art, most people think that it's just a wave and it wil...