Group Exhibitions

Just Above Midtown: Changing Spaces is still on view at MoMA in New York, United States until February 18, 2023

Just Above Midtown (or JAM) was an art gallery and self-described laboratory led by Linda Goode Bryant that foregrounded African American artists and artists of color. Open from 1974 until 1986, it was a place where Black art flourished and debate was cultivated. The gallery offered early opportunities for artists now recognized as pivotal figures in late-20th-century art, including David Hammons, Lawrence D. “Butch” Morris, Senga Nengudi, Lorraine O’Grady, and Howardena Pindell. Nengudi has described JAM’s energy as vibrating, a space where artists “were given carte blanche, and there were no restrictions.” This exhibition presents artists and artworks previously shown at JAM in a wide range of mediums, and archival material and artist interventions contextualize the experimental ethos that defined the gallery.

The Colour of Anxiety is still on view at the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds, United Kingdom until February 26, 2023

The Colour of Anxiety bringing into focus sculpture exhibited and collected in Britain between 1850 and 1900, a rich yet largely overlooked body of work. The exhibition examines the rise of colour in nineteenth-century sculpture by focusing on how male artists responded to, and reinforced, a concept of the female body influenced by anxieties of the time. Despite Victorian ideals of virginity and chastity, women were often represented as both nude and sexualised, reflecting fears regarding degeneration, the changing role of women, and Black female sexuality and racial intermingling. Bringing together sculptures that either incorporate colour directly or imply it by means of subject matter and titles, the exhibition considers the fascination with colouring people and people of colour as a response to the perceived anxieties of the Victorian age.

Side by Side II is still be on view at The Village Opera House in Windhoek, Namibia until March 3, 2023

The premise of the Side by Side exhibition series is juxtaposition. By placing just two artists’ works in proximity, we are presented with a dialogue that creates space for unique interpretations. This exhibition will present artworks by Namafu Amutse and Candice Mouton who met while at school. They are both young, self-taught artists in the early stages of their creative careers. While Amutse works predominantly in the digital realm, creating photographs and videos, Mouton is a painter and illustrator. Despite using very different mediums, the two artists share a similar impetus for their works on display in this show. In this exhibition, Amutse’s photographs and Mouton’s paintings portray intimate moments relating to childhood through portraiture. There will also be an art talk with both artists on February 18.

Solo Exhibitions

Yto Barrada: Bad Color Combos is still on view at Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands until March 5, 2023

This solo exhibition presents a selection of Barrada’s work of the last five years, together with new artwork conceived especially for the exhibition. In it, she continues to explore cultural phenomena, personal histories and natural processes. This is her first solo exhibition in the Netherlands with previously unseen, multidisciplinary work. In Bad Color Combos, Yto Barrada continues to explore cultural phenomena, personal histories and natural processes. In recent years, Yto Barrada has developed new series of works around themes such as the acceleration and deceleration of time; motherhood; the history of education; play; the artisanry of natural dyes and color as material; traditions of modernism and our futile attempts to control nature.

Art Fairs

1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair will open at La Mamounia in Marrakech, Morocco from February 9-12, 2023

The fourth edition of 1-54 Marrakech will welcome 20 exhibitors, including eight galleries from the African continent (four of which are based in Morocco), and 12 galleries which will participate at the art fair for the first time. Works by over 60 artists working across an array of painting and sculpture to mixed media and installation will be presented at the fair. 1-54 Marrakech will be accompanied by an ambitious programme of events in partnership with local institutions from Jajjah by Hassan Hajjaj, MACAAL (Musée d’Art Contemporain Africain Al Maaden), MAP Marrakech (Musée des Arts de la Parure), Malhoun 2.0 and Al Maqam (artists’ residence) among others.