Pioneering Contemporary African Art with Touria El Glaoui

Touria El Glaoui has been named by Forbes as one of the 100 most powerful women in Africa, and by New African as one of the most influential Africans in business. She is the Founding Director of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, which takes place in London, New York and Marrakech every year. Touria has spoken widely on contemporary African art and women in leadership around the world. She was an ideal judge to have on our Rise Art Prize 2018 regional panel for the Middle East and Africa. Here are 3 things you didn’t know about Touria:

Photo © Victoria-Birkinshaw

Why are you passionate about art?  

Art makes you feel it all. It’s like my pilates class, it makes me bend and stretch in all directions both physically and mentally, but once I’m done I feel anew.

Ed Cross Fine Art Gallery at 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, Somerset House, London.

Photo © Katrina Sorrentino (Katrina Lillian)

Which is the first artwork that blew your mind?  

Number one will always be the work of my artist father. Then the paintings and drawings that depict Moroccan life and culture by Matisse.

Les feux du Quadrige by Hassan El Glaoui

What is your favourite art ‘-ism’?

Feminism and Womanism. These movements have inspired, and continue to inspire, some badass work by female artists.

Sitor Senghor Gallery at 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, Somerset House, London.

Photo © Katrina Sorrentino (Katrina Lillian)

The London edition of 1-54 returns to Somerset House in early October 2018. Until then, here are 5 South African artists who caught our eye over the course of Rise Art Prize 2018 submissions.

1. Lebohang KGanye

Lebohang Kganye was crowned the Rise Art Prize 2018 Global Artist of the Year. The profound messages underlying her work, together with her fascinating multi-disciplinary practice, wowed our final judges. The artist explores the contradictions of family history through the concept of family photo albums. Key themes in Lebo's work are memory, fantasy and the role of the archive.

Ke ile ka tswela pele ka ho tereka a ntse a bua by Lebohang Kganye

2. KIRSTEN LILFORD

Kirsten’s domestic scenes have an uncanny, slightly off-key, feel to them. Her deep colours and strong lines transform snapshots of ordinary domestic life into semi-sinister scenes. Not only is her subject matter striking, but her quirky paintings are also technically accomplished.

Pool Party by Kirsten Lilford

3. Michaela Rinaldi

Michaela paints abstracted figurative works that feature acidic colours and elongated figures. She works charcoal, ink, pastel and gold leaf into her paintings to create rich, layered imagery. Michaela’s intriguing pieces have a meditative quality to them that inspires contemplation.

Shadow Dancing by Michaela Rinaldi

4. JOANNE MCGILVRAY

Joanne paints women in misty, ethereal settings. The artist, who has a background in Sculpture, finds the curves and form of the female torso fascinating. But it’s not just the physical beauty of women Joanne aims to depict; she also tries to capture the shifting moods and challenges of being a woman.

Haute Couture 2 by Joanne McGilvray

5. Danielle Hewlett

Danielle paints expressive portraits that, rather than offer realistic depictions of her subjects, reimagine their energy in paint. She lives by Oscar Wilde’s saying, that ““no great artist ever sees things as they really are. If he did, he would cease to be an artist”. Danielle captures more than the outward appearance of her sitters; there's something of the subject's psychological state that colours each of her canvases too.

Contagonist by Danielle Hewlett