London’s widely acclaimed 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair is coming to Brooklyn. Rechristened “1:54 NY,” this migrated art fair will be hosted at Pioneer Works from May 15-17 and the work of no one else but former Just A Band-member and Nairobi-based visual artist Jim Chuchu will be on display.
The exhibit will feature two digital prints from Chuchu’s 2014 “Pagans” collection, which Chuchu describes as “a reconstruction of future-past anonymous African deities, their devotees and forgotten religious rites.” The 100×100 cm prints have previously been exhibited at art fairs in both Africa and Europe and will be represented by the Seattle-based Mariane Ibrahim Gallery at the 1:54.
“Pagans XIII” – one of Chuchu’s two exhibited prints.
“It seems only right that 1:54 would spread its wings to land in New York, where established and emerging African artists…are leading a burgeoning contemporary art scene,” 1:54’s creator and director Touria El Glaoui told OkayAfrica after revealing the fair’s lineup earlier this week.
Chuchu will be exhibited alongside African artists like Gabonese painter Boris Nzebo, Malian photographer Malick Sidibe and Mozambican sculptor Goncalo Mabunda. A total of 15 international galleries will represent the roughly 70 artists that will be featured at the fair.
Beyond the 1:54, Chuchu is current with two short films produced by the Nairobi-based NEST collective, of which he is a part. “To Catch a Dream” is a narrative fashion flic that features designs from eight local fashion houses and “Stories of Our Lives” is a visual depiction of the harsh realities of LGBTQ life in Kenya. Chuchu wrote and directed both and has received multiple international awards for his filmmaking.
To Catch A Dream from The NEST Collective on Vimeo.
