African Galleries Now Launches 23 November on Artsy

New York, NY, November 19, 2020 — Artsy, the leading online marketplace for buying and selling fine art by leading international artists, has partnered with the African Art Galleries Association (AAGA)—led by Valerie Kabov, Co-Founder of First Floor, and Julie Taylor, Founder of Guns & Rain—to launch an innovative new online-only event, African Galleries Now. This newly ideated event, which will be live on Artsy from November 23rd until December 13th, places an important spotlight on emerging African artists and exposes them to Artsy’s global audience of nearly 2 million collectors and art lovers.

The inaugural, exclusively-on-Artsy event features 13 gallery participants spanning 15 countries across the African continent and will allow global audiences to discover and collect over 200 fresh artworks by 52 African artists to watch. For this debut edition, each participating gallery will curate special booths—utilizing Artsy’s best-in-class Online Fair product—devoted to a group of artists and artworks of their choice.

The galleries participating are at the forefront of discovering, developing and showcasing the best of the continent. Based in Africa, AAGA member galleries are invested in nurturing local art sectors and shaping the wealth of diversity that is contemporary African art in some of its most dynamic centres.

Discussing African Galleries Now, Artsy’s Chief Revenue Office, Dustyn Kim, said, “Our partnership with AAGA speaks directly to Artsy’s mission of expanding the art market. Through African Galleries Now, we will spotlight over 50 emerging African artists for our nearly 2 million art collectors and enthusiasts on Artsy, helping them discover new artists and artworks they’ll love and may not have otherwise had the chance to find. We look forward to this new event becoming a regular highlight in the online art world.”

Commenting on the exclusively-on-Artsy event, Co-Organizer Valerie Kabov, Co-Founder of First Floor Gallery, said, “Over the past number of years, our galleries have been doing pioneering work to build the African art ecosystem and provide critical support to emerging artists. Collectors supporting African-based galleries are not just engaging in an exciting new sector, they can be sure that they are actively investing in artists and the future of art on the continent. We are delighted to be working with Artsy on this event and offer international exposure for African galleries and African artists thanks to their digital expertise and unparalleled global reach with their community of millions of collectors.”

AAGA List of Participating Galleries and Artists:

Afriart (Kampala, Uganda): Henry “Mzili” Mujunga, Richard Atugonza, Eria Nsubuga “Sane,” and Sanaa Gateja

Arte de Gema (Maputo, Mozambique): Luís Santos, David Aguacheiro, Santos Mabunda, and Mudaulane

Circle Art Gallery (Nairobi, Kenya): Agnes Waruguru, Miska Mohmmed, Boniface Maina, and Florin Iki Mmaka

Ebony Curated (Cape Town, South Africa): Lwando Dlamini, Anico Mostert, Sibusiso Duma, and Yonela Makoba

ELA (Luanda, Angola): Joana Taya, Francisco Vidal, Baudouin Mouanda, and Sueki

First Floor Gallery Harare (Harare/Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe): Amanda Mushate, Richard Butler Bowdon, Julio Rizhi, and Bouvy Enkobo

Guns & Rain (Johannesburg, South Africa): Sizwe Sibisi, Thebe Phetogo, Sandile Radebe, and Sanelisiwe Nkonyane

Kalashnikovv Gallery (Johannesburg, South Africa): Theresa-Anne Mackintosh, Ayanda Mabulu, Alfred Thoba, and Isaac Zavale

MOVART (Luanda, Angola): Sethembile Msezane, Kwame, Tho Simoes, and Helena Uambembe

Rele Gallery (Lagos, Nigeria): Tonia Nneji, Marcellina Akpojotor, Ameh Egwuh, and Sejiro Avoseh

Selma Feriani Gallery (Tunis, Tunisia): M’barek Bouhchichi, Nidhal Chamekh, Jellel Gasteli, and Thameur Mejri

StArt Art Gallery (Windhoek, Namibia): Actofel Ilovu, Ismael Shivute, Nicky Marais, and Fillipus Sheehama

This Is Not a White Cube (Luanda, Angola): Luís Damião, René Tavares, Alida Rodrigues, and Osvaldo Ferreira