October Gallery, London announces its participation in the second edition of Africa Basel, 2026, with a presentation of dynamic works by Zana Masombuka, LR Vandy, Sokari Douglas Camp CBE, Alexis Peskine, Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga, Xanthe Somers and Djibril Dramé. Bringing together photography, sculpture, painting and ceramics, the presentation explores a range of contemporary artistic practices from across the African continent and diaspora.

Highlights include works by Zana Masombuka which combine photography, sculpture and beadwork to create richly layered images framed by intricate handcrafted details. Drawn from her series Akhulumile Amabhudango: Scenes from Dreams – Journeys with Kosabo, the works pay tribute to her late grandfather while exploring ancestry, spirituality and memory.

LR Vandy presents sculptural works constructed from found objects, metal and rope. Through the transformation of industrial materials, her practice reflects on the histories of trade, migration, power and gender within the African diaspora. Her first solo museum exhibition, Rise, continues at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, UK, until 13th September, 2026.

Internationally renowned sculptor Sokari Douglas Camp exhibits galvanised steel works that address colonial histories, trade and systems of power in African and Caribbean contexts. Her sculptures frequently evoke the presence of powerful African matriarchs while engaging broader political and social themes. Her new solo exhibition Fashion & Fortune recently opened at October Gallery and continues until 27th June, 2026.

Also presented are large-scale sculptural portraits by Alexis Peskine, created through the precise hammering of nails into wood. Drawing on his multicultural heritage, Peskine’s works explore identity, race and historical exploitation through densely layered surfaces rich in colour and texture.

Recent paintings by Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga depict figures marked with intricate microchip-like patterns, reflecting the artist’s on going concern with the exploitation of both people and natural resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Additional highlights include ceramic vessels by Xanthe Somers, whose practice draws upon post-colonial histories and her Zimbabwean heritage. Hand-coiled using traditional techniques, her works are punctured, woven and meticulously painted to create tactile, layered surfaces.

For the first time at Africa Basel, the gallery presents photographs by Djibril Dramé from his ongoing series Ndewendeul, which explore the spiritual traditions of the Baye Fall Sufi brotherhood. Through vivid imagery, the works open wider conversations around identity, community and belonging.

Tate Modern presents Nigerian Modernism, a landmark exhibition celebrating the artists who transformed modern art in Nigeria during the mid-20th century. The exhibition will include some of El Anatsui’s early wooden wall-hanging sculptures, such as Leopard's Paw Prints and Other Stories.

Created throughout the 1980s and 90s, these remarkable relief works reveal the beginnings of Anatsui’s signature style. Using richly hued tropical hardwoods—variously charred, carved and painted—the artist forged wall-hangings that occupy a space between painting and sculpture, anticipating the shimmering metal tapestries for which he later became renowned.

October Gallery is proud to highlight works by El Anatsui at the inaugural edition of Art Basel Qatar, 2026. The presentation includes recent dazzling bottle top wall sculptures; the works personify Anatsui’s idea of the ‘non-fixed form’ and are part of his highly experimental approach to sculpture.

Kew Gardens presents their new exhibition Material World inside the Temperate House, featuring a breathtaking installation by artist Nnenna Okore, titled Between Earth and Sky. Okore’s monumental sculpture transforms organic materials into a flowing, immersive form, inviting us to reconsider the beauty and potential of everyday matter.

Bringing together art, plants, and design, Material World explores the connections between textiles and sustainability, highlighting how nature continues to inspire both what we wear and the futures we imagine.

The Ezen Foundation presents From Ashes to Blossoms, an exhibition in remembrance of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 80 years ago. Curated by a third-generation survivor, this memorial tribute will focus on shared reflection and reciprocal understanding as essential pathways to Peace. Alongside historical memorabilia, artworks by Kenji Yoshida will also be shown. Conscripted as a kamikaze pilot in 1944, Yoshida’s life was saved, counterintuitively, by the atomic bombings of August, 1945, which brought the war to a rapid end. Returning to his interrupted artistic career, Yoshida became a passionate advocate for Peace.

October Gallery presents the first showing of Japanese artist Kenji Yoshida’s work at Frieze Masters, featuring works from the 1960s and 1970s. These highlight the evolution of his unique blend of traditional Japanese and European modernist styles. Known for his spiritual large-scale paintings using gold and silver leaf, Yoshida’s earlier works reveal ample experimentation with colour, form, and metallic effects.

Aged 19, he was conscripted and assigned to become a kamikaze pilot. While many of his comrades flew away to certain death, Yoshida’s eventual survival came about only because the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 80 years ago in 1945, precipitated Japan’s sudden surrender. These traumatic experiences left Yoshida profoundly conscious of the fragility of life and the proximity of death, an awareness that permeates all the work that followed. Returning to his art, Yoshida moved to Paris to study graphic art techniques at Stanley Hayter’s influential Atelier 17. The London-born Hayter had been instrumental in teaching many celebrated artists – Miro, Picasso, Giacometti, Rothko, Pollock and Dali, to name but a few – by encouraging experimentation and insisting that more than mere technique, printmaking was itself a creative activity.

Yoshida (b.1924, Japan – d.2009, Japan) studied art under Furukido Masaru. He moved to Paris in 1964. During the 70s and 80s, he exhibited widely across Europe. In 1993, he was the first living artist given a solo exhibition at the Japanese Galleries of the British Museum, London.

October Gallery, London, presents works by LR Vandy, Alexis Peskine, Xanthe Somers, Zana Masombuka, Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga and Romuald Hazoumè at the 2025 edition of 1-54, London. The Gallery’s booth comprises arresting sculptural works, striking photography and vivid paintings.

Highlights include vibrant new sculptures by LR Vandy that explore the complex entanglements of trade, power and gender. By arranging multiple obsolete carpet shuttles into a web-like structure, adorned with netting needles and frayed cotton thread, she honours the industriousness of women – as a celebration of ‘women’s work’. Remarkable large-scale ‘portraits‘ of the African diaspora are exhibited by Alexis Peskine. In his latest works, Peskine delves into the rich, healing powers inherent in ancestral African spirituality, exploring deeper aspects of interiorised abundance and well-being. New colourful ceramic works presented by Xanthe Somers are shaped by her engagement with post-colonial narratives and the cultural context of Zimbabwe, her country of birth.

Powerful photographic works by Zana Masombuka focus on the important meditative process of Ndebele beading. In this new series, Akhulumile Amabhudango: Scenes from Dreams – ‘Journeys with Kosabo’, Masombuka pays homage to her late grandfather as she journeys with him in her dreams, exploring themes of kingship, ascension and ancestral guidance.

Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga presents bold paintings from his Nature Morte series. The artist’s attention has moved beyond the histories of Belgian colonial control to the contemporary situation where the neo-colonial powers have once again asserted control over the lives of ordinary Congolese people. Also exhibited are a selection of Romuald Hazoumè’s distinctive masques bidons (repurposed masks), created from plastic petrol canisters. Much of the enigmatic appeal of these masks is their ability both to conceal and yet reveal the hidden identity of their subjects.

El Anatsui: After the Red Moon has begun its highly anticipated world tour, making a global debut at the prestigious Museum of Art Pudong (MAP), Shanghai, where it will be on display until October 2025. El Anatsui’s cascading metal sculptures have dramatically transformed MAP's entrance lobby and Hall X, offering visitors an immersive experience of his masterful exploration of history, materiality and transformation. This global tour marks a significant milestone in Anatsui's career, and we congratulate him on this extraordinary achievement, which continues to captivate audiences around the world.

This exhibition was originally conceived and commissioned as the Hyundai Commission: El Anatsui: Behind the Red Moon for Tate Modern's Turbine Hall, London in 2023.

The Artist’s Garden and theCOLAB proudly present M A R Y M A R Y, a landmark outdoor sculpture exhibition in central London showcasing the work of nine women artists, including LR Vandy. It is set within The Artist's Garden — a once-overlooked half-acre rooftop above Temple tube station, now the world’s first sculpture garden dedicated to women artists.

See When a gate closes by El Anatsui at the Royal Academy’s 257th Summer Exhibition — a striking work crafted from aluminium and copper wire. Known for transforming everyday materials into shimmering sculptural forms, Anatsui continues to push the boundaries of contemporary art.

Curated by architect Farshid Moussavi RA, this year’s Summer Exhibition explores the theme of ‘Dialogues’ across disciplines and cultures. Celebrating its 257th year, the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2025 brings together a vibrant mix of contemporary art and architecture.

The Modern presents Feeling Color: Aubrey Williams and Frank Bowling, an exhibition celebrating the contributions of these two artists to the evolution of abstract painting in the late twentieth century. 

The show highlights Aubrey Williams’ dynamic exploration of abstract forms alongside Bowling’s painterly and experimental approach. Together, their works offer a powerful reflection on the impact of abstraction in modern art. 
 
Feeling Color presents works from Williams’ expansive series Shostakovich (1980–81), and The Olmec-Maya and Now (1982–88), as well as other works on canvas and paper. 

October Gallery, London, is pleased to participate in the debut edition of Africa Basel, 2025, with a presentation of striking works by international artists James Barnor, Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga, Alexis Peskine, Zana Masombuka, LR Vandy, Owusu-Ankomah and Xanthe Somers. The presentation comprises painting, sculpture and photography and vibrant ceramic works.

Highlights include selected photographic works by renowned photographer James Barnor (HonsFRPS), whose masterful career has spanned more than six decades; recent paintings by Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga reflect the artist’s investigation into the seismic shifts in the economic, political and social identity of the Democratic Republic of Congo, that have taken place since colonialism; mesmerising large-scale mixed media ‘portraits’ representing the diversity of the African diaspora by Alexis Peskine.

Also on show are signature photographic works by Zana Masombuka from the series Nges’rhodlweni: A Portal for Black Joy. The overarching themes in Masombuka’s captivating works explore how modernity impacts tradition and culture. LR Vandy transforms found objects, metal components and rope into a variety of artworks, and will be represented by her vibrant ‘masks’ made from model boat hulls and energetic sculptures that investigate the knotted histories of trade, power and gender.

Other highlights include a ceramic artwork by Xanthe Somers whose work is informed by post-colonial contexts, with reference to Zimbabwe, her country of birth, while Owusu-Ankomah’s distinctive paintings depict an alternate world wherein monumental human figures float and shift within an ocean of emblems that surround, support, and in fact, define them.

Lechbinska Gallery presents Land of Morning Calm, a group exhibition featuring works by South Korean artists. This timely exhibition engages in dialogue with Hallyu! The Korean Wave, opening at the Rietberg Museum in Zurich, and reflects on the evolving cultural landscape of South Korea.

Featured are works by Jukhee Kwon, who transforms abandoned books into striking sculptures. Her practice is an act of both destruction and renewal, giving discarded objects a new existence as intricate works of art.

The Fitzwilliam Museum’s upcoming exhibition explores the complex history of the struggle to abolish transatlantic slavery, highlighting the individuals, communities, and movements that fought against oppression.

Among the featured works is a striking piece Land Ho! by Julien Sinzogan, whose intricate pen-and-ink compositions draw from the annual Egúngún masquerades of Yorubaland. These ceremonies, where ancestral spirits reunite with the living, serve as a powerful metaphor for return and remembrance.

Louvre Abu Dhabi presents Louvre Abu Dhabi presents Kings and Queens of Africa: Forms and Figures of Power, featuring Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga’s striking painting Oubliez le passé et vous perdez les deux yeux.

In this work, Kamuanga draws inspiration from the endangered Mangbetu people, originally from Sudan and later settlers in the northeastern Kongo Kingdom in the 1500s. Caught between tradition and modernity, the Mangbetu represent a vanishing cultural heritage, embodying resilience and identity amid change.

Aubrey Williams: Life Force at AGBI (Artists' General Benevolent Institution)celebrates the legacy of renowned artist Aubrey Williams (1926–1990). A pioneering figure in post-war British art, Williams’ dynamic use of colour and form continues to shape contemporary artistic discourse.

The exhibition will be open Tuesday through Thursday, 10 am – 5 pm, by appointment only. Contact AGBI here admin@agbi.org.uk

El Anatsui's installation Akua's Surviving Children is now on view at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in the new exhibition OCEAN. Anatsui discovered these driftwood logs on the shores of Hellebaek in Denmark, and upon examining the weathered wood, he drew a poignant connection to the victims of slavery.

OCEAN is an exhibition, where history and the present meet in an intersection between art and science.

October Gallery, London, participates in the 2025 edition of EXPO CHICAGO.The gallery returns to the fair with a dynamic presentation of works by Alexis Peskine, Zana Masombuka, Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga and El Anatsui.

Highlights include new works by Alexis Peskine from his recent series Forest Figures.Building on his heritage and personal experiences, Peskine’s works delve into the rich, healing powers inherent in ancestral African spirituality. South African artist, Zana Masombuka’s first presentation in Chicago focuses on her signature photographic works, Nges’rhodlweni: A Portal for Black Joy, which displays contemporary narratives of traditional Ndebele ceremonies. Striking paintings by Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga explore the seismic shifts in the economic, political and social identity of the Democratic Republic of Congo, that have taken place since colonialism.

El Anatsui’s sculptural experiments with media and form have challenged the definition of sculpture itself. His metal wall installations have received international acclaim and the gallery’s presentation will include recent work by the artist. El Anatsui has worked with October Gallery since 1993 and the artist’s most recent exhibition at the gallery was TimeSpace, 2023 –2024, for which Anatsui created a new series of mesmerising works.

The exhibition NOTHING TOO BEAUTIFUL FOR THE GODS at Fondation Opale highlights the intersection of art and spirituality and unfolds in three steps with more than 60 works.

The exhibition seeks to lift the veil on the visual expressions of Indigenous cultures, often ignored in the context of contemporary art, and to reveal their current relevance with featured artists such as El Anatsui and Huichol artist Santos Motoapohua de la Torre.

JMW Turner and Changing Visions of Landscape is a major new exhibition exploring artists' approaches to landscape from the 17th century to the present day.

The exhibition includes works by Govinda Sah ‘Azad’ who first encountered Turner’s art while studying at the College of Fine Art in Kathmandu. Sah’s later move to Margate introduced him to the Kentish coastline, where Turner famously captured its unique light in many of his late works. Today, Sah continues to live and work in Margate.

Narrative Wisdom and African Arts explores how both historical and contemporary African arts reveal narratives rooted in collective and individual memory. By presenting works created by artists across sub-Saharan Africa from the 13th to the 20th century alongside pieces by contemporary African artists such as Romuald Hazoumè, the exhibition examines intersections between historical arts, oral traditions and evolving storytelling forms.

Works by William S. Burroughs and Brion Gysin are featured in Sainsbury Centre’s exhibition, Ayahuasca & Art of the Amazon — part of the Why Do We Take Drugs? season — which considers the impact of the mind-altering, psychotropic vine ayahuasca within Western Amazonian social life.

Artworks produced in North America and Europe speak to the ways in which hallucinogens are transforming the cultural landscape, becoming important for political emancipation, psychotherapy and personal development.

Romuald Hazoumè’s photographic series Kpayoland is featured in the exhibition We Are Here: Scenes from the Streets! at the ICP.

We Are Here: Scenes from the Streets! captures 50 years of contemporary street photography from over 30 international photographers. This expansive re-viewing of street photography opens up important discussions on how ‘the street’ and public space are places of community, joy, self-expression, advocacy, changing landscapes, and social dynamics.

Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga’s large-scale painting Reconnaissance II, from his Mangbetu series, is currently on view at the IVAM Centre Julio González in Nobosudru: The Becoming Icon of a Mangbetu Woman. This group exhibition traces the transformation of Nobosudru’s image—originally captured in northeastern Congo and intended as a status symbol—into an emblem of Black Africa. Ilunga’s work reflects on the Mangbetu people’s cultural resilience amidst pressures to modernise.

On the ground floor, explore LR Vandy’s dynamic sculptures, where model boat hulls transform into powerful ‘masks’—crafted with fishing floats, porcupine quills and acupuncture needles— that reflect themes of migration and transportation.

Downstairs, Kenji Yoshida’s mesmerising works on paper and canvas feature coloured forms in silver and gold leaf, evoking life's essential forces and unity.

The collaboration has been designed by October Gallery’s Artistic Director Elisabeth Lalouschek, Curator Eleri Fanshawe, and Chefs Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer, the couple behind Honey & Smoke Grill House.

Romuald Hazoumè has been selected as one of the four major artists to represent The Republic of Benin for the 60th edition of La Biennale di Venezia.

Entitled Everything Precious Is Fragile, this exhibition will explore the rich history of Benin, touching on themes such as the slave trade, the Amazon motif, spirituality and the Vodun religion. These themes are tied together by Benin's exploration of African feminism and pay tribute to women's versatility whilst envisioning a world where differences are seen as a source of richness and strength.

Acclaimed worldwide for his masks made from used plastic petrol cans, Romuald Hazoumè is an artist whose work is firmly rooted in Benin's social, political and cultural context and the globalized world.

For the 2024 edition of Abu Dhabi Art, October Gallery will showcase compelling works by Golnaz Fathi, Alexis Peskine, Rachid Koraïchi, Govinda Sah ‘Azad’ and Jukhee Kwon. Highlights include Golnaz Fathi's Sunlight (2022), a striking canvas of layered script and vivid primary hues that evoke both warmth and the intensity of the sun.

More information and to view works by all featured artists

Hepworth Wakefield's new exhibition, titled Ronald Moody: Sculpting Life, will explore the evolution of Jamaican-born sculptor Ronald Moody's art and will feature over 50 of Moody's works, ranging from large-scale figurative sculptures to his post-war experimental pieces. These works will be contextualised alongside artists with whom Moody exhibited, as well as members of the Caribbean Artists Movement, such as Aubrey Williams, — a revolutionary group of which both Moody and Williams were founding members of.

In celebration of Frieze Week, October Gallery is delighted to continue their collaboration with Honey & Smoke Grill House with an exhibition of striking works by LR Vandy and Kenji Yoshida. This vibrant exhibition opens 24th September ahead of Frieze London and continues until 2nd November and is situated on Great Portland Street moments from the art fair in Regent’s Park.

LR Vandy presents dynamic sculptural works on the ground floor of the restaurant. Vandy transforms model boat hulls into ‘masks’, animating them with various materials, including fishing floats, porcupine quills and acupuncture needles. While simultaneously creating a vibrant and arresting body of work, Vandy’s Hulls allude to the transportation of migrants as commodities.

Mesmerising works on paper and canvas by Kenji Yoshida (1924 – 2009) are presented in the downstairs area of the restaurant. Employing an elliptical language of coloured forms often rendered in silver and gold leaf, Yoshida invites the viewer to consider the fundamental forces of life and meditate upon that essential unity that binds us all together.

The collaboration has been designed by October Gallery’s Artistic Director Elisabeth Lalouschek, Curator Eleri Fanshawe, and Chefs Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer, the couple behind Honey & Smoke Grill House.

October Gallery is delighted to exhibit paintings by Aubrey Williams in a first-time presentation of the artist’s works at Frieze Masters, London. Aubrey Williams' distinctive contribution to 20th century British art was last year recognised, when Tate Britain dedicated a room to works by this master of painterly abstraction, in their rehang of significant examples of British art.

For this year’s edition of 1-54 London, October Gallery will present new works by Zana Masombuka, Alexis Peskine, LR Vandy and Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga. The Gallery’s booth brings together vibrant photography, sculptural works and painting. In addition, Theresa Weber will present a new installation in the West Wing Corridor of Somerset House.

Talbot Rice Gallery presents a major exhibition of El Anatsui, spanning five decades of his work and extending to the building’s façade, transforming it into an open-air gallery this summer. Titled El Anatsui ‘Scottish Mission Book Depot Keta', the exhibition will showcase a substantial selection of Anatsui’s iconic large-scale sculptural wall hangings made from reclaimed aluminium bottle tops. Additionally, the exhibition features a collection of carved wooden reliefs spanning over thirty years, as well as printed works on paper that narrate the intricate production process behind his monumental metal bottle tops installations.

El Anatsui’s new workContinents in Gestation, will be shown at The Royal Academy’s 256th Summer Exhibition.

The Summer Exhibition is a celebration of contemporary art and architecture and provides a vital platform and support for the artistic community—this year will explore the idea of making space.

Held since 1769, the Summer Exhibition displays works in a variety of mediums and genres by emerging and established artists.

Pie Projects presents Boundless, an exhibition of sublime imagery and breathtaking abstractions by artists Govinda Sah 'Azad' and Judy Tuwaletstiwa. Boundless will showcase compositions of glass, paint and mixed media that evoke contemplation and a sense of limitless possibilities. Through their respective mediums, paint and glass, both artists explore the concept of transcending elementalism, using aesthetic materials to navigate the forces of nature.

Tate Britain has dedicated a room to the work of Aubrey Williams, a significant aspect in the institution’s 2023 complete rehang of the world’s greatest collection of British art for the first time in 10 years.

Titled Aubrey Williams: Cosmological Abstractions, 1973–85, the display consists of paintings created in the 1970s and the 1980s, and explores Williams' involvement with ecology, cosmology, music and pre-colonial civilisations.

Visitors can now discover the galleries laid out chronologically, from the 1500s to the present day, with the relationship between British art and the wider world being a major theme throughout. Each solo exhibition room, devoted to major historic figures such as William Blake and John Constable amongst others.

El Anatsui’s work Terra Firma is now on view in a new exhibition at MAK, Vienna.
HARD/SOFT: Textiles and Ceramics in Contemporary Art, showcases work from around 40 international artists, many whose work is being exhibited in Vienna for the first time. The exhibition explores the interplay between textiles and ceramics and examines the materials’ connections with economic and political systems. Furthermore, the exhibited works investigate themes relating to cultural appropriation and post-colonialism.

October Gallery’s presentation at the tenth edition of 1-54 New York, 2024, includes a selection of dynamic works by Zana Masombuka, LR Vandy, Benji Reid, Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga and Alexis Peskine. The gallery’s booth brings together vibrant photography, painting and new sculptural works.

Highlights include Zana Masombuka's first presentation in New York of her series of signature photographic works, Nges’rhodlweni: A Portal for Black Joy. Nges’rhodlweni refers to a space within the Ndebele household where people of all ages gather to share in the communion of art, creating a site of expression for the entire community.

A recent painting by acclaimed Congolese artist Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga from his ongoing Ghost of the Present series is presented. This captivating work conveys Kamuanga’s skilful ability to integrate a personal set of African iconographic symbols with wide ranging contemporary themes that resonate and engage.

Alexis Peskine presents new large-scale, mixed-media ‘portraits’ of the African diaspora, which are rendered by hammering nails of different gauges, with pinpoint accuracy, into wood. His wooden ‘canvas’ takes on an oval shape inspired by the portraits of the upper class and bourgeoisie of the 18th century Georgian era. Peskine reclaims this oval form, staining the wood with natural pigments and flower petals, such as hibiscus, curcuma and indigo. In these specific works, he deploys Japanese oxidised leaf which lends the final piece a lustrous and captivating aesthetic.

Striking photographic works by Benji Reid are exhibited for the first time in New York. Reid considers himself a Choreo-Photolist; a term he coined to encapsulate his unique
practice where theatricality, choreography and photography combine in the image. His breath-taking photography composed primarily of self-portraits, created by incredible poses with a medley of props, invites the viewer into a different dimension.

Sculpture is represented by LR Vandy’s new series of striking Hull works, in which she incorporates rope and the colour indigo, to comment on the sinister trade histories associated with both materials. Vandy transforms model boat hulls into ‘masks’, animating them with various materials, including fishing floats, porcupine quills and acupuncture needles. The artist’s solo exhibition Twist, (18th April – 25th May) at October Gallery, London, highlights her new series of visceral rope sculptures, which reference the historic importance of rope and its maritime and slave-trade connections.

Entangled Pasts, 1778–now: Art Colonialism and Change, brings together over 100 major contemporary and historic artworks as part of a conversation about art and its role in shaping narratives around empire, enslavement, resistance, abolition and colonialism.

Organised into three thematic sections that intertwine narratives across time and engage over 50 artists connected to the institution, the exhibition will include El Anatsui’s installation Akua's Surviving Children from 1996. This powerful piece represents a clan of survivors from the Danish slave trade, which operated between Ghana, formerly the Gold Coast, and the Danish West Indies.

Congratulations to El Anatsui! We are delighted that Tate Modern unveils a monumental sculptural installation created by the internationally acclaimed Ghanaian artist.

The Hyundai Commission: El Anatsui: Behind the Red Moon is staged in three acts which visitors are invited to move between. The first hanging, titled The Red Moon, resembles the majestic sail of a ship billowing out in the wind, announcing the beginning of a journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Red liquor bottle-tops form the outline of a red moon, or ‘blood moon’, as it appears during a lunar eclipse.

The second sculpture, , is composed of many individual layers that evoke human figures suspended in a restless state. The ethereal appearance of these figures is achieved using thin bottle-top seals wired together to create a net-like material. When viewed from a particular vantage point, these scattered shapes come together into a single circular form of the Earth.

In Anatsui’s final hanging, The Wall, a monumental black sheet of metal cloth stretches from floor to ceiling. At its base, pools of bottle tops rise from the ground in the form of crashing waves and rocky peaks. Behind its black surface, a delicate structure of shimmering silver is revealed, covered in a mosaic of multi-coloured pieces. This combination of lines and waves, blackness and technicolour, echoes the collision of global cultures and hybrid identities that Anatsui invites us to consider throughout his work.

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Burn, burn, burn - The Beats light up the Ox will explore the nonconformist world of the Beat Generation and the diverse artistic expressions of this influential movement.

Included is the work Untitled by William S. Burroughs —a fusion of ink and spray paint on a file folder, with words and inscriptions surfacing through the layers. From drawing to performance, music to photography, and film to art, the Beat Generation's experiments yielded a riotous tapestry of colour and controversy.

This exhibition presents a significant body of work by internationally renowned artist Romuald Hazoumè, based on his dedicated study of Fâ divination.

Romuald Hazoumè: The Fâ Series presents twenty-two works, primarily from the mid-1990s. The majority of these large-scale canvases draw from the visual lexicon associated with Fâ, evoking its sacred knowledge through symbols and signs. The show is organised by the Neuberger Museum of Art and curated by Christa Clarke, independent curator, art historian and Senior Advisor at the Center for Curatorial Leadership.

Reconnect Through Love, a group exhibition at Omaka Gallery, highlights the multi-layered and diverse nature of Black love through the perspectives of internationally acclaimed and emerging artists. This showcase endeavours to shed light on the collective experiences of love, offering a genuine and authentic perspective on the myriad forms this powerful emotion can embody. Alexis Peskine is represented by his large-scale nail portrait Kassu Demdemi (Fire Now), in which each meticulously placed nail symbolises a profound connection and resilience within the narrative of Black identity.

Infinity Festival in Margate will celebrate the work of internationally acclaimed artist Govinda Sah ‘Azad’ whose large-scale paintings will be exhibited for the first time in his hometown. The Margate-based contemporary artist is inspired by the ambient light of Thanet, the skyscapes of his homeland Nepal and the mysteries of our cosmos.

Alongside an exhibition of Sah's paintings are workshops, talks, meditation sessions and two special performances featuring Margate-based dancer and choreographer Ash Mukherjee and the Orchestra from Everywhere, which brings together musicians and music from around the world.

October Gallery are thrilled that works by Romuald Hazoumè feature in The Stuff of Life | The Life of Stuff, a new, major international exhibition which opened on 10th September, 2023 at the Sainsbury Centre, Norwich, UK.

Visitors can view artworks composed of salvaged materials, re-synthesised fragments, and e-waste. They will encounter new environmental zones, where synthetic and organic matter interact, providing a fertile ground for the invention of mythical worlds, dystopias and speculative future narratives.

A major bottle-top work by El Anatsui also is featured in this exhibition, which includes works by Madi Acharya-Baskerville; Mandy Barker; Karla Black; Maarten Vanden Eynde; Ayan Farah; Daiga Grantina; Diana Lelonek; Ibrahim Mahama Mary Mattingly; Fabrice Monteiro; Marlie Mul; Samara Scott; Tejal Shah; Elias Sime; Michael E. Smith; Sarah Sze; Gavin Turk.

The Fitzwilliam Museum presents a landmark exhibition, Black Atlantic: Power, People, Resistance, which explores new stories from history and investigates which stories get remembered and why.

By bringing together collections from across the University of Cambridge’s museums, libraries and colleges with loans from around the world, Black Atlantic: Power, People, Resistance asks new questions about Cambridge’s role in the transatlantic slave trade and looks at how objects and artworks have influenced history and perspectives. Historical works are shown alongside modern and contemporary works by artists, including Sokari Douglas Camp CBE, Alexis Peskine, Barbara Walker and Donald Locke — each of them challenges and reflects on hidden and untold stories.

We are delighted to announce that the exhibition of works by Hassan Massoudy and Zana Masombuka at Honey & Smoke Grill House is now extended until 6th January, 2024! To accompany the new season, Honey & Smoke will serve their Christmas Feast Menus for large parties.

This collaboration between October Gallery and Honey & Smoke celebrates shared cultural traditions, the ritual of dining together and the combination of heritage and modernity in both food and art.

Elegant, gestural, calligraphic works on paper by Hassan Massoudy are presented on the ground floor of the restaurant. Born to a traditional Iraqi family, Massoudy trained in Baghdad and Paris. A master artist-calligrapher, his work connects with the Middle Eastern influence and tradition through the written word, with peace and tolerance as central themes in his work.

Zana Masombuka, an artist from South Africa, presents a body of striking photographic works in the downstairs area of the restaurant. Her work engages with the intersection of tradition with the modern age, especially through Ndebele culture, symbolism and material contrast, in a radical re-examination of the self.

More about Honey & Smoke & Co here honeyandco.co.uk

October Gallery presents new works by Alexis Peskine and paintings by Govinda Sah ‘Azad’, alongside selected etchings, paintings and ceramics by Rachid Koraïchi, for the 2023 edition of Abu Dhabi Art,

Highlights include arresting new large-scale, mixed-media ‘portraits’ by Alexis Peskine. The artist portrays the African diaspora by creating works rendered by hammering gold and silver leafed nails of different gauge, with pin-point accuracy, into wood stained with black pigment, white hibiscus petals, coffee and mud. Metaphorically connecting the nail to the Black experience, Peskine depicts figures that reveal strength, perseverance and self-possession. Also on view are new works by Govinda Sah ‘Azad’, an artist from Nepal who is known for his paintings of tempestuous skies and cosmic explosions. The works are informed by Sah’s intriguing ongoing metaphysical musings about the nature of reality. Rachid Koraïchi is represented by a selection of works in different mediums, including two striking etchings from the series A Nation in Exile, rendered in a predominately black palette.

The Detroit Institute of Arts will present James Barnor: Accra/London—A Retrospective, a comprehensive survey of the work of British-Ghanaian photographer James Barnor, whose career spans more than six decades. A studio portraitist, photojournalist, and Black lifestyle photographer, Barnor established his famous Ever Young Studio in Accra in the early 1950s and devoted his early photography to documenting critical social and political changes that animated the nation on the cusp of independence from Britain.

For the eleventh edition of 1-54 London, October Gallery presents new works by Zana Masombuka, Alexis Peskine, LR Vandy, paintings by Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga and Owusu-Ankomah and sculpture by Romuald Hazoumè.

Highlights include new works by Zana Masombuka which encompass photography and beaded steel sculpture from her first London solo exhibition at October Gallery, titled Nges’rhodlweni: A Portal for Black Joy (5th – 30th September, 2023). Masombuka draws inspiration from her upbringing in the small town of Siyabuswa, in rural KwaNdebele, South Africa. Her works deploy Ndebele cultural lore, symbolism and material contrast in a radical re-examination of identity, tradition and culture.

Alexis Peskine presents new large-scale, mixed-media ‘portraits’ of the African diaspora, which are rendered by hammering nails of different gauges, with pin-point accuracy, into wood. By applying gold and silver leaf to the nails, he creates striking images that echo the energy reminiscent of the spiritually charged Minkisi ‘power figures’ of the Congo Basin.

Visceral new rope sculptures hand-sewn by LR Vandy are included. The artist’s manipulation of rope holds both historic and symbolic importance, as it was used in ancient construction and the building of empire and colonialism through shipping, and is associated with slavery, captivity and execution.

Also on view is Buana mbutuku buila (Childhood is a Dark Night), a vibrant new painting by internationally acclaimed Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga from the ongoing Ghost of the Present series.

The presentation includes bold paintings by Owusu-Ankomah from his Microcron series which employ Adinkra symbols and are influenced by Akan philosophies. The human figures in the paintings interact within an ocean of emblems that surround and define them.

Romuald Hazoumè is represented by two of his signature mask works. Composed of miscellaneous found materials, these captivating sculptures are witty portraits that often engage with international affairs to deliver insightful social commentary.

Three works by Zana Masombuka will be featured in the group exhibition, COZY – Comfortable in My Skin with Gallery OCA (Of Caribbean Art).

Taking place at Cromwell Place, the exhibition invites you to step into a world of hybrid identities, where power and vulnerability reverberate in conversation and brings together the unique voices of some of Africa, the Caribbean and the diaspora's boldest voices, presenting a multifaceted perspective on womanhood, shaped by the artists’ defining journeys towards self-actualisation.

Work by Aubrey Williams will be shown in 1-54 Presents; a group show titled Transatlantic Connections: Caribbean Narratives in Contemporary Art. This exhibition will be on view at Christie’s, on the occasion of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair’s 11th edition. Traversing individual experiences and collective identities, Transatlantic Connections: Caribbean Narratives in Contemporary Art brings together a range of works from some of the most exciting modern and contemporary Caribbean artists of the last 50 years.

Romuald Hazoumè's monumental installation, Rat Singer: Second Only to God! will be exhibited in a bold, new exhibition at Kunsthalle Mannheim.

1.5 Degrees: Interdependencies between Life, the Cosmos, and Technology examines the complex interaction of human beings, nature and technology. Exploring how the climate crisis influences all areas of life, the premise of the exhibition questions whether the methods by which humankind has developed the world since the beginning of industrialisation are still legitimate. Includes works by Anselm Kiefer, Richard Long and Julian Charrière amongst others.

Tapfuma Gutsa’s work is presented alongside contemporary artists Maria Thereza Alves, ikkibawiKrrr, Oswaldo Maciá and Uriel Orlow at Elizabeth Xi Bauer’s new exhibition É a lama, é a lama. These artists’ practices acknowledge our climate emergency and turn their gaze to one aspect of our planet, depicting elements such as flora, fauna, water, fire, geological formations and typhoons to address global warming.

É a lama, é a lama is curated by Maria do Carmo M. P. de Pontes.

LR Vandy will display a new sculpture outside the International Slavery Museum, which explores storytelling, interpretation and the wider historic waterfront. The work, titled Dancing in Time: The Ties That Bind Us, is handmade by sewing sections of rope and binding the ends with twine. This pop-up installation is part of the International Slavery Museums’ series of activations and will be located beside the dry dock in the public space of Liverpool’s Waterfront.

Listen to an interview with LR Vandy on BBC Radio Merseyside at 8.30 pm on Monday, 3rd April.

We are delighted that Alexis Peskine's film Raft of Medusa will be presented in a new group exhibition at Centre Pompidou-Metz this November. A Gateway To Possible Worlds brings together over 200 works from the late 1960s to the present day and highlights the bonds between imaginary worlds and our reality.

Established in 1896 and organised every three to four years by Carnegie Museum of Art, the International presents an overview of how art and artists respond to the critical questions of our time. The 58th Carnegie International will bring together new commissions, existing works and projects by established and emerging artists working internationally, domestically, and locally. The exhibition will transform galleries and public spaces in the museum and will occupy sites and engage publics in various Pittsburgh neighborhoods.

The following representation of Laila Shawa’s lithographs of the Walls of Gaza II series will be shown: Passages to Freedom, 12th Century AD, Coke is it! and The Sponsors.

Works by Aubrey Williams will be shown at Modern Art in a group exhibition featuring over 40 artists.

Taking its title from a painting by the celebrated American artist Charles Burchfield, The Moth and The Thunderclap aims to show how artists have been compelled to reflect an indeterminate psychological space where nature and culture collide, often filtered through their experience of landscape.

October Gallery is pleased to participate at Art Dubai 2023 for its 16th edition, with a selection of new and recent works by international artists. For the Contemporary section at Booth E12, the gallery brings together striking pieces by El Anatsui, Jordan Ann Craig, Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga and Alexis Peskine. In the Modern section at Booth M6, the gallery will present a solo show of works by acclaimed photographer James Barnor.

Alexis Peskine presents new and recent works for the first time at Art Dubai in their Contemporary section. Peskine creates breathtaking composite images rendered by hammering nails of different gauge, with pin-point accuracy, into wood stained with coffee and mud, followed by applying gold and copper leaf to the nails.

Also on view will be works by El Anatsui, whose metal wall sculptures have provoked a storm of international attention with institutions and audiences over recent years. Anatsui is represented by two vibrant prints from the Circular Series, one in deep blue and the other in gold, that were developed with Factum Arte, Madrid. Alongside these intriguing prints, vivid hard-edged paintings by Jordan Ann Craig will be exhibited which reference the artist’s indigenous Northern Cheyenne culture. Another highlight will be new and recent large-scale paintings by Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga, whose work explores the seismic shifts in the economic, political, and social identity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which have been taking place since colonialism.

Alexis Peskine's large-scale mixed media portrait Passage (Iemanjá's Tears)? is displayed at the Foundling Hospital as part of their new exhibition, Tiny Traces.

The exhibition presents a rich history of London life from 1739-1820, with stories of more than a dozen children from the African and Asian diasporas. The works presented form a dialogue with the historical narratives of the hospital, enabling visitors to explore the many emotions arising from the archive and ask questions about the past, present and future.

Museum Sztuki will open a major exhibition, Erna Rosenstein, Aubrey Williams. The earth will open its mouth, showing works by Williams (1926–1990) alongside Rosenstein (1913–2004), a Polish artist of Jewish origin born in Lviv. The works of Williams and Rosenstein are the starting point for reflection on art – challenging history and diasporic identity by finding expression in the language of abstraction and oneiric surrealism.

For the 2022 edition of Abu Dhabi Art, October Gallery will present selected paintings by Govinda Sah ‘Azad’, Jordan Ann Craig, and Aubrey Williams, alongside ceramics and works on paper and canvas by Rachid Koraïchi.

Highlights include recent paintings by Govinda Sah ‘Azad’, an artist from Nepal, who is known for his paintings of tempestuous skies and cosmic explosions.

On view will be striking, reimaged hard-edged paintings by Jordan Ann Craig, which reference the artist’s indigenous Northern Cheyenne culture.

Rachid Koraïchi’s creative explorations have extended across an impressive array of media, which include ceramics, textiles, bronze, corten steel, wood and paintings on silk, paper or canvas. Three blue and white ceramic jars from the Lachrymatoires Bleues series (2020) will be displayed.

Also presented are selected works by Aubrey Williams, whose paintings are being increasingly recognised as a uniquely evolved expression of abstraction in Caribbean art.

October Gallery will participate in the 2022 edition of AKAA Art Fair with a presentation spanning sculpture, works on paper, photographs and paintings by artists, Nnenna Okore, Alexis Peskine, Benji Reid, and Frantz Lamothe.

Highlights include a new dynamic installation in the Carreau du Temple by Nnenna Okore, who will also be in Paris to present a talk at the fair on 21st October, with Claire Staebler, Director of FRAC Pays de la Loire (Nantes) as the moderator. Especially made for the fair, Okore’s large-scale installation includes materials such as plastic bags, yarn and sticks, dexterously interwoven in undulating forms. At the Gallery booth, Okore will be represented by Ethereal Beauty, an intricate work, that reveals an extraordinary manifestation of colour and formation, resembling organic elements in nature. For the Bruges Triennial 2021, Nnenna Okore completed a monumental textile installation, And the World Keeps Turning, in which she stretched PVC fabric around the Poertoren (Gunpowder Tower) in Bruges.

Another highlight is Bwira (Getting Dark), a striking work by Alexis Peskine, made from Moon gold leaf, nails, coffee, and earth. Peskine’s practice addresses questions of the Black Experience and references the Congolese wooden effigies, the Minkisi power figures. Nails, in both ancient and contemporary African cultures, are associated with objects of immense symbolic and spiritual power. The artist is also represented by two remarkable portraits created from coffee infused by ink, screen printed onto handmade paper, surrounded by gold leaf.

On view will be several fantastical photographs by Benji Reid, whose works are primarily composed of self-portraits in eye-catching anti-gravitational poses. Reid seduces the viewer by creating alternative realms of hyper-reality, adorned with a medley of marvelous objects, set against imaginary surroundings. Choreography and photography unite in Benji Reid’s evocative images and his works have been shown in MoCADA (Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts), New York, as part of the 2019 exhibition Styles of Resistance: From the Corner to the Catwalk.

Also presented is Lonely Child, a poignant painting by Frantz Lamothe, whose raw and visceral works reflect fragments of his varied past. Born in Haiti in 1961, Lamothe departed the country at the age of four to spend his childhood in Brooklyn; by the age of sixteen he was living on the streets and painting graffiti in the subways of New York. This way of life came to an end when, along with fellow graffiti artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Lamothe was taken up by the New York gallery circuit. Lamothe’s work has garnered international acclaim across Europe, Japan, and the USA. He lives and works in Paris, France.

To celebrate 1-54’s tenth anniversary at Somerset House, October Gallery will exhibit new works by Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga, Alexis Peskine, LR Vandy, Zana Masombuka and recent sculptures by Sokari Douglas Camp CBE.

Highlights include signature masques bidons (repurposed masks) by Romuald Hazoumè. Composed of miscellaneous found materials, these compelling sculptures are droll portraits that engage with international affairs to deliver a witty social commentary. Carnaval, a solo exhibition of a new body of works by the artist, opens on 6th October at October Gallery and continues until the 26th November, 2022.

October Gallery is proud to present the first international monograph on Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga, published by Rizzoli in October 2022, and will hold a book launch on Friday 14th October at 5pm, Booth W1 at 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, London. The presentation will take place surrounded by a display of new and recent works by the artist amongst others. In his work, Kamuanga explores the seismic shifts in the economic, political, and social identity of Democratic Republic of the Congo, which have been taking place since colonialism. Internationally recognized as one of the most interesting young contemporary African talents, Kamuanga’s work has been shown across Africa, Europe, and the United States.

On view will be two new bold ‘hull’ works made by LR Vandy, whose sculptures often allude to the transportation of migrants as commodities. The artist embellishes them with various materials, including fishing floats, porcupine quills and acupuncture needles, transforming them into ‘masks’. Vandy’s work was exhibited as part of the exhibition Get Up, Stand Up Now, in 2019 at Somerset House.

Alexis Peskine will present works from his recent residency in Florence, including a copper leaf nail ‘portrait’ Ikechukwu, created in 2021. This striking workcomprises earth pigment from the river Arno and nails that are meticulously hammered into wood. Peskine often reflects on his own multicultural heritage by making his pieces in a variety of places.

Also on display will be recent sculptures by Sokari Douglas Camp CBE, including Lace and Heels, a dramatic work created for her recent solo exhibition, Jonkonnu Masquerade at October Gallery in June. The artist’s monumental sculpture Europe Supported by Africa and America is on display at the V&A to complement the Africa Fashion exhibition until 14th May 2023.

Recent photographic works will be presented by Zana Masombuka who draws inspiration from her upbringing in the small town of Siyabuswa, in rural KwaNdebele, South Africa. In collaboration with different photographers, Masombuka situates herself as the subject of an ever-evolving practice that explores culture and identity.

Fayre Share Fayre is a group show hosted in the South Gallery at the Whitworth, Manchester. The exhibition brings together over 40 artists with a connection to Greater Manchester and is part of A Modest Show, the collateral programme to British Art Show 9 at the Whitworth, the biggest touring exhibition of contemporary art in the UK.

A work by Benji Reid will be on display.

Radical Landscapes, a major exhibition exploring our connections to the rural landscapes of Britain opens at Tate Liverpool. Work by Aubrey Williams is included.

The exhibition presents rural spaces as sites of artistic inspiration and action, and a heartland for ideas of freedom, mysticism and rebellion. It explores how artists have reclaimed the landscape as a space to make art for everyone, as well as unearth how the countryside has been shaped by our values and use of the land. The show will also consider the human impact on the landscape and ecosystems, by featuring works that reflect on the climate and its impact on the landscape.

The Royal Academy presents the 254th Summer Exhibition, a unique celebration of contemporary art and architecture, providing a vital platform and support for the artistic community. Celebrated British sculptor Alison Wilding RA will co-ordinate this year’s Summer Exhibition, and working with the rest of the Summer Exhibition Committee, will explore the theme of climate. Works by El Anatsui and by Govinda Sah 'Azad' will be presented.

Sokari Douglas Camp CBE's new sculptures are especially created for display at KCAW Art Trail, next to The Design Museum, where her work once stood as part of the Commonwealth Institute. The works can be viewed from the 18th June throughout the summer and during Kensington + Chelsea Art Week from 23rd June to 3rd July.

MASI Lugano presents the largest and most comprehensive retrospective to date devoted to the work of Ghanaian photographer James Barnor.

Organised by the Serpentine Galleries in London, the exhibition documents Barnor’s long career, which encompasses numerous photographic genres, from studio portraiture to photojournalism, fashion editorials and street photography. Through his images, characterised by a direct and a spontaneous approach, his shots recount the social and political changes that marked the recent history of his country and that of London’s African community.

Focusing in particular on the decades from 1950 –1980, the exhibition presents works from the artist’s personal archives, including many unpublished photographs. After MASI Lugano’s venue, the exhibition will be showcased at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

This exhibition revisits the work of Black artists in Scotland through recent collecting.

In collaboration with Mother Tongue — an independent curating duo — the exhibition focuses on showing older works from Glasgow Museums’ collection as well as new acquisitions through the New Collecting Award from the Art Fund. Informed by Mother Tongue’s research, the exhibition reflects on the current and historical presence of Black artists living, working, exhibiting and studying in Scotland. Work by Aubrey Williams forms part of this interesting survey exhibition.

Postwar Modern explores the art produced in Britain in the wake of a cataclysmic war. Certainty was gone, and the aftershocks continued, but there was also hope for a better tomorrow. These conditions gave rise to an incredible richness of imagery, forms and materials in the years that followed.

Focusing on ‘the new’, Postwar Modern features 48 artists, including Aubrey Williams, and around 200 works of painting, sculpture, photography, collage and installation.

This exhibition explores the subjects that most preoccupied artists, among them the body, the post-atomic condition, the Blitzed streetscape, private relationships and imagined future horizons. As well as reconsidering well-known figures, the exhibition foregrounds artists who came to Britain as refugees in addition to female artists who have tended to be overlooked.

Alexis Peskine has been invited by Fondation MAM to participate in an artist's residency.

Located in Douala, MAM was formed with the intention of promoting visual and contemporary art from Africa and the Diaspora.

An exhibition of Alexis Peskine's work will be held at Galerie MAM from 15th April – 15th June 2022.

Barakat Contemporary will present an exhibition of works by James Barnor.

This will be the first presentation of the photographer's work in South Korea.

Homo Faber presents Crafting a more human future in collaboration with the Michelangelo Foundation. The importance of the concept of “crafts” in contemporary society will be explored through the vision of a team of renowned curators and partners.

Three vases from Rachid Koraïchi's Lachrymatoires Bleues (2020) series will be part of the exhibition Next of Europe. These pieces are based on lachrymatory vases, small glass vials that were originally found in ancient burial chambers, were later believed by the Victorians to be ‘tear gatherers’ and used to collect the tears shed at the loss of a loved one. While contemplating the unending wars in Syria, Libya, Yemen and Iraq today, and the endless streams of refugees fleeing their homes in search of a new life in the west, Koraïchi conceived this series as symbolic repositories for the countless uncollected tears spilled because of the individual human tragedies associated with these ongoing events.

This exhibition explores the work of artists from the Caribbean who made their home in Britain, alongside other British artists whose work has been influenced and inspired by Caribbean themes and heritage. Spanning visionary paintings to documentary photography, fashion, film and sculpture, Life Between Islands traces the extraordinary breadth and impact of Caribbean British art, in one setting.

This exhibition celebrates how people from the Caribbean have forged new communities and identities in post-war Britain - and in doing so have transformed what British culture and society looks like today. The exhibition features over 40 artists, including Aubrey Williams, Donald Locke, Horace Ové, Sonia Boyce, Claudette Johnson, Peter Doig, Frank Bowling, Donald Locke, Hew Locke and Alberta Whittle.

October Gallery will participate in the online 2021 edition of FNB Art Joburg Fair. Works by James Barnor, Sokari Douglas Camp, Ablade Glover, Alexis Peskine, Benji Reid and LR Vandy will be exhibited online by October Gallery.

Sokari Douglas Camp first exhibited at October Gallery in 1985. She has had more than forty solo shows worldwide and in 2005, was awarded a CBE in recognition of her services to art. In 2012, her large sculpture, All the World is Now Richer, a memorial to commemorate the abolition of slavery, was exhibited in The House of Commons and then in 2014 at St Paul’s Cathedral, London. The piece is currently on display at until Westminster City Council Offices until January 2022.

In her sculptures, LR Vandy brings together both found and made objects in order to create new meaning. In her ‘Hull’ series, Vandy transforms model boat hulls into ‘masks’, animating them with materials, including fishing floats, porcupine quills and acupuncture needles. The hulls allude to the transportation of migrants as commodities. As masks they present a transformation of identity, drawing upon the tradition of talismans, charms and amulets.

In 2019, the large-scale piece Superhero Cog Woman was part of Frieze Sculpture, London and also installed at Holland Park as part of Kensington and Chelsea Art Week 2021. Her work is in various private collections and was acquired by the British Museum.

October Gallery is participating in the digital version of ART X Lagos Art Fair - online edition.

A selection of works by Ablade Glover, Alexis Peskine and Benji Reid as well as prints by Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga will be exhibited by October Gallery.

Alexis Peskine’s works are large-scale mixed media ‘portraits’ created by hammering gold leafed nails into wood stained with coffee, hibiscus and mud. He depicts figures that portray strength, perseverance and self-possession, with energy startlingly reminiscent of the Minkisi “power figures” of the Congo Basin.

Benji Reid’s breathtaking photographs, comprised primarily of self-portraits in incredible, anti-gravitational poses with a medley of props draw the audience into a different dimension. Reid's work was exhibited in >Get Up, Stand Up Now, curated by Zak Ové, at Somerset House, London, 2019. His work is in the collection of the Harn Museum of Art, Florida, USA. In 2021, October Gallery presented Benji Reid: Laugh at Gravity the artist’s first solo show at the Gallery.

In a career spanning over five decades as an exhibiting artist, Ablade Glover is one of Ghana’s foremost painters. Ablade Glover’s paintings celebrate his passion for the colours and energy of Ghana. From bustling markets to trees bursting with yellow leaves, Glover’s paintings glow with movement and colour. October Gallery has exhibited the work of Glover since 1982. His work can be found in many important public and private collections worldwide.

Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga explores the shifts in the economic, political and social identity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His highly sought after compositions possess a depth of historical understanding, with a striking interplay of the intensity of space juxtaposed with emptiness.

As part of Expression(s) décoloniale(s) #2 at Château des ducs de Bretagne works by Romuald Hazoumè have been installed in the courtyard of the castle and in several rooms of the museum.

For this second edition of Expression(s) décoloniale(s) visitors are encouraged to question their views by encountering a variety of historical discourses on the Atlantic slave trade and slavery. Romuald Hazoumè’s works create an uninterrupted dialogue between the past and the present.

October Gallery will participate in the 2021 edition of AKAA Art Fair. The presentation will include photographs by James Barnor and Benji Reid as well as works by Alexis Peskine, LR Vandy and Rafael Trelles alongside prints by Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga.

In 2020, James Barnor received an Honorary Fellowship from The Royal Photographic Society. The following year the Serpentine, London, presented James Barnor: Accra/London - A Retrospective. Also in 2021, James Barnor – Ghanaian Modernist was on display at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery as part of Bristol Photo Festival.

Rafael Trelles’ oil paintings explore humankind’s ever-changing relationship with the natural world and the intricate web of interdependencies humans share with the plants and animals of their surrounding environment. The works exhibited at AKAA are part of the artist’s Axis Mundi series.

New works by LR Vandy will be exhibited as well as works by Alexis Peskine and Benji Reid.

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The Serpentine presents a major survey of October Gallery represented photographer James Barnor, whose career spans six decades, two continents and numerous photographic genres through his work with studio portraiture, photojournalism, editorial commissions and wider social commentary.

Born in 1929 in Ghana, James Barnor established his famous Ever Young studio in Accra in the early 1950s, capturing a nation on the cusp of independence in an ambiance animated by conversation and highlife music. In 1959 he arrived in London, furthering his studies and continuing assignments for influential South African magazine Drum which reflected the spirit of the era and the experiences of London’s burgeoning African diaspora. He returned to Ghana in the early 1970s to establish the country’s first colour processing lab while continuing his work as a portrait photographer and embedding himself in the music scene. He returned to London in 1994.

Free entry but booking required.

This display, curated by Mariam Rosser-Owen (Curator Middle East), will be the first exhibition ever staged on this subject.

Complementing the V&A’s internationally important collection of historical ceramics from the Middle East and North Africa, this exhibition feature works by a selection of the key artists practising today in the Middle East and North Africa, or in diaspora, who use ceramic as a medium of artistic expression. The display will include works by Rachid Koraïchi.

1-54 will hold its ninth edition of the London fair at Somerset House from 14th – 17th October 2021, with VIP Previews on 14th and 15th October. Works by James Barnor, Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga, Frantz Lamothe, Alexis Peskine, and LR Vandy will be exhibited by October Gallery.

The Gallery will also, for the first time, present works by Frantz Lamothe at 1-54. Also on display will be new works by LR Vandy including an incredible new work which is based on the artist’s Dynamo Woman series.

October Gallery will participate in Investec Cape Town Art Fair very first digital event and online viewing rooms taking place from 17-19 September 2021 (Preview days 15-16 September by invitation only).

Running in parallel with their sister fair in Milan; miart international modern and contemporary art fair, this event provides a unique opportunity where VIPs, galleries, and visitors will have access to a much broader audience across two continents and two fairs.

Featuring work by James Barnor, Sokari Douglas Camp, Naomi Wanjiku Gakunga, Alexis Peskine, Benji Reid, Rafael Trelles and LR Vandy.

October Gallery will participate in the 2021 edition of Photo London. This will be the first time the Gallery is exhibiting at the major international photography fair. Works by James Barnor, Benji Reid, Alexis Peskine and Romuald Hazoumè will be shown by October Gallery.

James Barnor: Accra/London - A Retrospective at the Serpentine, London, continues during the fair. October Gallery’s booth at Photo London will feature works on display at this seminal exhibition. Also included are newly released photographs by artist Benji Reid, whose solo show Laugh at Gravity is held concurrently at October Gallery.

Slavery: Ten True Stories at Rijksmuseum focuses for the first time on slavery in the Dutch colonial period. This exhibition explores 250 years of Netherland's history and the topic of slavery through personal and real-life stories rather than abstract concepts. These are stories from Brazil, Suriname and the Caribbean, South Africa and Asia.

Romuald Hazoumè's monumental installation La Bouche du Roi is a highlight of the exhibition. In 2006 the work was acquired by the British Museum and in 2007 was presented at the museum in collaboration with October Gallery. The piece is a powerful tribute to those who suffered the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade.

Portable Sculpture at Henry Moore Institute brings together work from 1934 to the present day. The exhibition features work by fifteen artists, including Romuald Hazoumè, Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Marcel Duchamp, Mohamad Hafez, and Do Ho Suh.

The exhibition explores a variety of responses to circumstances in which permanence is difficult to achieve. A combination of unstable geopolitics and sweeping economic change during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries has made questions about home and identity, migration and travel, or stability and impermanence ever more pressing..

This display weaves together a rich tapestry of artistic expression from artists born in, or connected to, countries from Iran to Morocco.

Featuring around 100 works on paper – from etchings to photographs and artists' books – the majority of works in the exhibition have been collected in the past decade. They highlight topics of gender, identity, history and politics, while also exploring poetic traditions and the intersections between past and present. There is no single narrative but a multiplicity of stories. Works by Rachid Koraïchi and Golnaz Fathi will be exhibited.

Africa Reborn, a group exhibition at musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac, explores a visual dialogue between contemporary art and ancient African art forms since the end of the 20th century. Curated by professor, curator, critic and art historian Philippe Dagen, the exhibition features No Return (2019), a major new work by Romuald Hazoumè which was created especially for Africa Reborn.

KCAW21 features hundreds of local and digital events taking place, including a dynamic outdoor Public Art Trail across 9 zones from Sloane Square to White City, curated walks through hidden streets of Kensington and Chelsea, Late Gallery Hop, museum projects and more.

A large Jesmonite sculpture from the series Superhero Cog Woman by LR Vandy, acting as a tribute to women throughout time, will be exhibited as part of KCAW21.

Works by Laila Shawa are part of the exhibition 'Inside/Out'. Shawa's ongoing series of silkscreens and prints entitled The Walls of Gaza strive to reflect the political realities of her country, targeting themes of injustice and persecution. This series evolved from photographs taken of graffiti appearing on the houses of Gaza during the first Intifada.

1-54 will hold its seventh edition of the New York fair online from 17th – 23rd May 2021. October Gallery will exhibit works by James Barnor, Sokari Douglas Camp, Naomi Wanjiku Gakunga, Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga, Rachid Koraïchi, Alexis Peskine, Benji Reid and LR Vandy.

1-54 Online, powered by Christie’s, features virtual booths with 360° viewing rooms.

Works by Jordan Ann Craig, Romuald Hazoumè, Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga, Alexis Peskine and Benji Reid will be exhibited by October Gallery.

The booth will feature Sequita (2020) by Alexis Peskine as part of a series of initiatives comprising the tribute to the Vision & Justice Project and Sarah Elizabeth Lewis, Associate Professor at Harvard University, as organised by Frieze New York. The project wrestles with the urgent question of how, in a democracy, the foundational right of representation and the right to be recognised justly, has historically—and is still—tied to the work of visual representation in the public realm.

October Gallery will participate in the 2020 edition of UNTITLED, ART Miami Beach Online Viewing Rooms from 2nd to 6th December 2020. Works by Alexis Peskine, Romuald Hazoumè, Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga, Jordan Ann Craig, LR Vandy and Benji Reid will be exhibited in the virtual booth hosted on the Artland platform.

October Gallery is participating in the 12th edition of Abu Dhabi Art. The virtual fair runs on Abu Dhabi Art’s website from 19th – 26th November 2020. October Gallery is exhibiting new works by Rachid Koraïchi and Govinda Sah ‘Azad’.

October Gallery presents a selection of Rachid Koraïchi’s works created during this past year of global crisis, including three blue and white ceramic vases from the Lachrymatoires Bleues series, one set of seven paintings from the Handkerchiefs of Hope series and one large etching, Le Jardin d’Afrique, along with other works.

In his most recent series, Govinda Sah has looked to the Moon for inspiration. Sah’s work balances traditional Eastern metaphysical insights about the nature of reality with visual realisations that are in accord with the latest formulations of contemporary western science, imagining a cosmos of boundless possibilities.

The touring exhibition Triumphant Scale is the most comprehensive and detailed presentation of El Anatsui’s oeuvre thus far. The exhibition encompasses all media used by the artist in his remarkable 50-year career, focusing on the triumphant and monumental quality of his sculptures, with the signature bottle cap series at the heart of the presentation. Along with these ambitious works, the exhibition includes wood sculptures and wall reliefs from the mid-1970s to the late 1990s; ceramic sculptures of the late 1970s; and drawings, sketches and prints.

October Gallery participated in the 2020 edition of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, London. New works by Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga, Alexis Peskine, LR Vandy and Benji Reid will be exhibited by the Gallery at Somerset House.

The fair will coincide with Alexis Peskine: Fire Figures, at October Gallery, a solo exhibition of new works by the artist.

For this edition of 1-54, LR Vandy has created a new installation which is a continuation of her 'Hull' series.

This year, Benji Reid was announced the recipient of The Wellcome Photography Prize 2020 for the category Mental Health (single image). Reid was awarded the prize for his work Holding onto Daddy a “love note” to his daughter.

Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga was recently announced as one of Apollo Magazine's 40 Under 40 Africa Artists.

Curated by Tiziana Castelluzzo, the exhibition features three new large installations as well as twenty medium and small works which are being shown for the first time. Jukhee creates works from the printed page. Using abandoned and disused books, she cuts and manipulates pages by hand to create magnificent sculptures.

October Gallery is taking part in the 2020 virtual Latitudes Art Fair. We are showing a selections of works by Benji Reid, Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga, Alexis Peskine, LR Vandy and Romuald Hazoumè.

October Gallery, London presented an exhibition of William S. Burroughs’ art, including rarely displayed paintings and sculptures. Burroughs practiced visual art throughout his life, for decades he produced photographs, collages and film, then in his later years he became a prolific painter. This exhibition will address his legacy, showing highlights from the latter part of his career.

The virtual booth explored Burroughs’ interest in the relationship between word and image. Burroughs thought in images and symbols, this is visible in both his writing and paintings. He was influenced by process art, recombinant art, and incorporating text into paintings.

October Gallery presented works by Naomi Wanjiku Gakunga, Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga, Alexis Peskine and Benji Reid at the 2020 edition of Investec Cape Town Art Fair.

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, The Moon is the UK’s biggest exhibition dedicated to Earth’s celestial neighbour. The exhibition reconnects with the wonders of the Moon through artefacts, artworks and interactive moments, and discovers how it has captivated and inspired us throughout history. Featured prominently in the exhibition was El Anatsui’s Cadmium-Vermillion Eclipse, an intaglio print with collage and chine-collé, produced in collaboration with Factum Arte, Madrid.

The monumental metal work TSIATSIA – searching for connection was installed in the atrium of the stunning Zeitz MOCAA (Museum of Contemporary African Art), in Cape Town, South Africa. El Anatsui won the prestigious Charles Wollaston Award when this immense work first covered the facade of the Royal Academy, in 2013. At 15.6m x 25m, the wall-hanging sculpture is the largest he has made using his bottle top technique.

Get Up, Stand Up Now, curated by Zak Ové was a major new exhibition celebrating the past 50 years of Black creativity in Britain at Somerset House. A group of around 100 interdisciplinary artists showcased work together for the first time, including Alexis Peskine, LR Vandy and Aubrey Williams, in this survey of the Black experience and influence, from the post-war era to the present day.

This major exhibition brought together more than 50 of Odundo’s vessels alongside a large selection of historic and contemporary objects which she curated to reveal the vast range of references from around the globe that have informed the development of her unique work. October Gallery loaned the two-piece installation AG+BA by El Anatsui for inclusion in the exhibition.

October Gallery collaborated with Asia House to display works by two artists in prime space of the renowned Asia House, London. Three photos by Huang Xu were displayed in the entrance lobby and three sections of the large installation Redemption by Jukhee Kwon was displayed through the grand staircase to coincide with the Literature Festival at Asia House.

October Gallery presented works by El Anatsui, Rachid Koraïchi, Romuald Hazoumè, Alexis Peskine and LR Vandy among others at the 2019 edition of Abu Dhabi Art.

October Gallery participated in the seventh edition of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, held at London’s Somerset House. The exuberant booth exhibited works by Romuald Hazoumè, new sculptures by LR Vandy as well as new works by Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga and Alexis Peskine.

Frieze Sculpture returned to The Regent’s Park for three months this summer, featuring works selected and placed by Clare Lilley (Director of Programme, Yorkshire Sculpture Park.) LR Vandy’s large Jesmonite sculpture from the series Superhero Cog Woman was exhibited as part of the sculpture park. Superhero Cog Woman is a tribute to the act of women coming together and making things happen. Each artwork from the series can be constructed from a range of cog-like components, differently configured, adding to its seemingly pragmatic and mechanical nature.

October Gallery participated in the fourth edition of Also Known As Africa (AKAA) Art Fair. The booth featured works by Alexis Peskine, Benji Reid and LR Vandy.

The exhibition brought together some thirty contemporary African artists of 15 different nationalities and opened in Casblanca, from where it is touring to6 countries across the continent. Included in the Casablance leg of the exhibition was the bottle-top work Iris by El Anatsui.

The Harley Gallery exhibited new works in an exciting solo exhibition by Sylvie Franquet. Enthralled by views on gender and nature, the artist collects materials brought together in an act of repairing humankind’s relationship with nature. Her punk aesthetic encompasses a range of fine art practices including needlework, sculpture and collage which she combined with research into Welbeck’s historic art collection.

October Gallery exhibited for the first time at 1-54 New York. New works were displayed by artists Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga, Alexis Peskine and LR Vandy.

At the 7th edition of Cape Town Art Fair, 2019, October Gallery presented works at Booth C14 by artists El Anatsui, Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga, Alexis Peskine and LR Vandy.