2022 was quite a busy year for African Art Beats. It started with an exhibit showcasing our artists at the Ven Embassy Row Hotel in February for Black History Month. In March, Souleymane Konaté (Côte d’Ivoire) presented Yeleen (Light), a series of whimsical paintings on canvas. In April, Bienvenue Fotso (Cameroon), a young female artist, showed Fipan-Grass, an exhibit focused on gorgeous portraits of medicinal plants that boost the immune system. In May, we were in Dakar for the Biennale of Contemporary Art with an exhibit by Manel Ndoye (Senegal). In October, many of you met Méné (Côte d’Ivoire) and viewed his exhibit Shaping Dreams. The exhibit was highlighted in a Washington Post article by Mark Jenkins. You may read it here. In November, we had...
Art lovers wish they were ubiquitous right now: Art Basel, the Venezia Biennale, Dak’Art…where to go? Personally, we chose the Dakar Biennale (May 19 – June 21) for its focus on contemporary African art. Ngozi Ezema, Think Tea, Think Cup III (2020), Clay, plastic, metal And we are still processing what we saw…paintings, sculptures, installations, performances… The Biennale’s official selection – the IN – includes 59 artists from ~30 countries, and the program of satellite events – the OFF – has 400+ more exhibits. This Biennale’s theme is Ĩ'Ndaffa, which means to forge out of the fire in Serer, one of Senegal’s languages. “It expresses the freedom to transform as well as the multiple possibilities to create. Forging after the COVID-19 era, thus suggests the alchemy of the transformative...
From February 11 to April 6, 2022, African Art Beats, Mehari Sequar Gallery and The VEN at Embassy Row Hotel (Washington DC)
celebrated Black History with the exhibit aVENues of Connection/The World in My Mind/African Art Beats.
"The show was developed and curated in partnership with Alla Rogers. Art curators were Dr. Lauren Davidson, in collaboration with Mehari Sequar Gallery in the main gallery; Anne-Beatrix Keller Semadeni of African Art Beats in the International Gallery; and fine artist Edward A. Young III on the lobby level of the hotel". Press release, the VEN.
On the photograph, from left to right: Alla Rogers, Jennifer Goodman (General Manager, the VEN), Dr. Lauren Davidson, Mehari Sequar and Anne-Beatrix.
Microcosms by Saadio runs until the end of the year. In that series, created during the past 18 months, Saadio revisits favorite themes and creates new ones. Whether on paper or canvas, small or big, his paintings explode with colors and tell myriads of stories. Some depict a world that is disappearing - photo studios and radios are being replaced by our cell phones, and graffiti on walls by posts on social media. Others tell us stories about his past, describe life in a big city, denounce issues or give us a glimpse of his thoughts about the future. Vibrant, allegorical, moving, they won't leave the viewer indifferent.
Spring is here, the trees are in bloom, the vaccine roll-out is in full swing, and hope is palpable in the air. Our gallery space has been refreshed and hosts artworks from previous exhibits, including Golden Reflections of Layered Lives by Elizabeth Martineau, that most of you could only see virtually. We also have new pieces by Haitian-American artist 3-D (Wainwright Dawson III) – among them the gorgeous coffee table in the photograph above (yes, he designs furniture too!). We have new artworks by Camille Tete Azankpo, Pascal Konan, Gerard Quenum and Saadio on the website; these artists are all present in museums in Europe and Africa. This is a great opportunity to explore their work from the comfort of...
