Akaa, (Also Known as Africa), an international fair for contemporary African art, opened its doors on Friday at the Carreau du Temple in Paris. Thirty-seven international galleries, more than a third of which are African, and 120 visual artists, painters and photographers are represented in this eighth edition. Akaa offers the public and collectors a dive into African creation.
“ I am Leuna-Njiele Noumbimboo, I am a painter. I have been practicing on the national and international scene for five years. » The artist is in Paris for the first time in his life. Invited to Akaa thanks to a partnership between the fair and the French Institute of Douala. “ So far, the majority of people who have been able to acquire my work are Cameroonians and Africans. Few are still Europeans “.
Akaa is a potential launching pad for her. Because in the crowded aisles of the fair collectors, cultural institutions and gallery owners in search of new talents meet. Véronique Rieffel, founder of the Parisian gallery that bears her name, has been coming to Akaa for four years. “ For all lovers of non-Western arts, this is an unmissable event. This is the case in terms of the market, but the specificity of Akaa is really to organize debates, meetings, to bring in publishers. That’s it too Akaa “, she explains.
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A desire to explore all dimensions of the art market which is reflected in the programming of the round tables. This year, Victoria Mann, the director of Akaa, decided to have her speakers focus on the profession of exhibition curator. “ We often forget the importance of the exhibition curator, who ultimately is the one who enhances the work, who puts it in context, who writes about it, who reflects on it, who brings it into dialogue with other works. And this is what we wanted to highlight this year », specifies Victoria Mann.
One hundred and twenty artists represented
Akaa is also a formidable barometer of the vitality of the African cultural sector. Every year, the teams travel to galleries across the continent. “ Over the past ten years, we have seen a proliferation of galleries opening on the continent. And that’s great, because it means that we are moving towards structuring the market on site, with spaces that will be able to show and also develop the appetite of collectors who do not yet know they are art collectors. », rejoices Armelle Dakouo, artistic director of Akaa.
In this regard, Akaa can count on the glorious pioneers like Cameroonian Barthélémy Toguo, a true world star of contemporary art. He opened a cultural center in Cameroon, Bandjoun Station, to bring together contemporary art and traditional art, without a hierarchy of value, according to the master’s expression. “ What Bandjoun Station is trying to do today is go to schools. Above all, it brings local culture into the contemporary art center so that people can immerse themselves in what we do, and so that they do not feel foreign to this very trendy contemporary art. », Indicates Barthélémy Toguo.
Akaa, this year there are one hundred and twenty artists from thirty-six different nationalities. Enough to feel like a citizen of a world in which the only passport is that of talent.
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