The art gallery Workshop 21 was selected to participate in the 12th edition of the 1-54 contemporary African art fair, which takes place from October 10 to 13, 2024, at Somerset House in London.
For its participation in this London edition of the fair, Workshop 21 exhibits works by artists M’barek Bouhchichi (Morocco), Margaux Derhy (Morocco), Hako Hankson (Cameroon) and Derrick Ofosu Boateng (Ghana). By proposing to exhibit these four artists, the gallery wishes to highlight the creative and contemporary richness of figuration, which opens new perspectives to the apprehension of reality, through universes deeply rooted in the African continent.
The body constitutes a theme with multiple ramifications in the work of M’barek Bouhchichi. Molded, sculpted, drawn, painted, it is highlighted through a kaleidoscope of signs, fragments (almost votive) and images which reveal a major concern of the artist: painting Moroccan men and women in black skin.
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Merging painting and embroidery, Margaux Derhy reconnects with her childhood and immerses herself in the family archives to transpose the people fixed in old photographs into a marvelous universe, endowing her own memories with a sweet enchantment and gradually creating an autofiction that she calls RAM. In 2022, Margaux Derhy founded “Massa Stories”, a collective workshop where ten Amazigh women contribute to embroidering images inspired by her family stories, thus creating a collective dynamic that strengthens cultural and community ties and deeply inspires the artist.
Immersed from his childhood in the traditional culture of Western Cameroon and in the rituals of his tribe, Hako Hankson draws his first inspirations from the objects of the initiation rites which surround him, such as masks or statuettes. The artist paints scenes that are both ancestral and contemporary, creating a connection between his Bamiléké culture and references drawn from the history of art.
Ghanaian artist, Derrick Ofosu Boateng is famous for his innovative artistic approach, the “Hueism”, based on color therapy and visual poetry. Taken with an iPhone and digitally retouched, these vibrantly colored photographs give rise to some of the most energetic works from this new generation of artists on the continent who take a proud and uninhibited look at Africa.
The 1-54 fair has established itself as an unmissable event for African creation. The art gallery Workshop 21 participates both to highlight the contribution of Moroccan artists in the creation of an African artistic scene, and to promote artists from sub-Saharan Africa.
