Exhibitions

Ravelle Pillay: The weight of a Nail is still on view at Goodman Gallery in Cape Town, South Africa until March 23, 2024

The weight of a nail is Ravelle Pillay’s first large-scale solo exhibition with the gallery. Featuring a new series of paintings, the show offers a response to the artist’s investigation of her family’s history, oral histories and their relationships to the lush, haunted landscapes of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Creeping through and haunting these works are the lingering shadows of nationhood, heritage and the cycles of oppression experienced by generations of people across space and time, whose lives have been circumscribed by the dark, overt or barely noticeable incursions of colonialism. The exhibition continues her interrogation of colonial legacies and migration, and her exploration of what and how we remember. In this body of work, colonial notions of nation converge with stories of individual family members and the dispossession of a family home.

A Tapestry of Contemporary African Art is still on view at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Long Island, United States until March 17, 2024

A Tapestry of Contemporary African Art celebrates the contributions of Contemporary African artists both emerging and established from across the continent, including Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Nigeria, Kenya, and Tunisia. It aims to introduce new audiences to the artists, by showcasing a broad array of themes that underscore their unique voices and styles, while underscoring their collective resonance. In collaboration with Montague Contemporary, curators Laura Day Webb and John Cino have chosen works from contemporary African artists living and working throughout the continent, Europe, and the United States, showcasing mediums from textile and oil on canvas to mixed media, photography, and woodcut prints.

Art Fairs

Capital Art Fair Tshwane will open at Menlyn Maine in Pretoria, South Afrca from April 5-7, 2024

Capital Art Fair Tshwane (CAFT) is set to host what promises to be a dynamic event shaping the cultural landscape of Tshwane, in 2024 and beyond. Art connoisseurs and the public will have an opportunity to witness the transformation of Tshwane’s cultural narrative at the inaugural art fair. Hosting this extraordinary event in Pretoria, the political and cultural epicentre of South Africa, carries profound significance. It amplifies the city’s role as a central hub where diverse voices converge, where history is not only made but also depicted on canvases and sculpted in galleries. Themed Intersections, CAFT is not just an art fair, it is a convergence of narratives, a collision of perspectives, and an exploration of uncharted artistic territories. With Intersections, CAFT doesn’t just showcase art – it celebrates the fusion of tradition and rebellion, history and dissent, and global dialogue in a local setting.

Auctions

Modern and Contemporary African Art will open at Sotheby’s in London, United Kingdom on March 21, 2024

Sotheby’s will present their seasonal sale of Modern and Contemporary African art in London. The auction celebrates the very best of African creativity, with a diverse selection of highly coveted and culturally significant works from across the continent. It will feature a specially curated collection of paintings, photographs, drawings and sculpture from across the African continent. With something for everyone at every price point this carefully assembled offering auction showcases iconic works by Modern Masters alongside the new and exciting production of trailblazing artists presently working on the continent.

Talks

Projecting Congo: Pan-African Arts and Archives will be held at CIVA in Brussels, Belgium on March 15, 2024

Congolese rumba and Lumumba as an international icon of resistance are some of the best-known examples of the Congolese addition to pan-African thought. However, the country’s contributions to feminism and quilombismo, an emancipatory philosophy that originated in Afro-Brazilian communities, are less recognized. This one-day conference explores how all these artistic and intellectual productions born in the wake of pan-African ideas have travelled to and from Central Africa; how it resonates with the present and shapes new futures. Together, these discussions propose a renewed outlook upon the relationship between Panafricanism, arts and archives from a Congo’s perspective.