The Bold Art of 1-54 Mirrors the city of Marrakech | More at Pigment's Residency at Art on the 9ines

February 19, 2023 NEWSLETTER

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1-54 CONTEMPORARY ART SHOW AS VIBRANT AND COLORFUL AS THE ANCIENT CITY OF MARRAKECH

Work by Reggie Khumalo When The Filly Joins The Party, 2022 acrylic and Fabric on Canvas 74 × 118 literally flowed off the canvas giving us vibes of both Kerry James Marshall and Sam Gilliam.

P. Andrews-Keenan

What better way to celebrate Black History Month than to visit The Continent and surround yourself with Black art. Pigment International’s trip to Marrakech for the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair was without compare.

Marrakech is a balm for the soul, especially for ones weighed down by a Chicago winter. It is all terra cotta walls, and colors as vivid as the spices and resins they sell - saffron, curry, amber, turmeric, and sandalwood - and you can hear the call to prayer five times a day. 1-54 was equally a feast for the eyes where color and pattern draw enthrall and entice. The gallery walls were yellow and terra cotta; green and blue, and of course are perennial favorite black. And the color palette of the art on the walls was just as bold. The La Mamounia Palace Hotel was a palatial backdrop for the show, with its lush cactus and palm filled gardens, Bedouin inspired artwork, and two Jean-George restaurant. The hotel is celebrating its centennial this year.

Carole Kvasnevski, of her namesake gallery, with US Ambassador to Morocco Puneet Talwar.

Ibrahim Ballo's works are acrylic weaving and cotton embroidery on canvas

Lisbon based artist Francisco Vidal's live paintings under the banner "Still Free" were a standout at 1-54.

Abdulrazaq Awofeso's Oni, 2022 shown by Ed Cross Fine Art. Read Vee Harrison's story about the artist below.

Artist Hako Hankson's regal bearing caught our eye. His father was a sculptor and responsible for government ceremonies in his chiefdom in Western Cameroon. Only one of his five works were left at the end of the show.

The color drenched Afro-centric still life on fine art paper by Maya Inès Touam, Masque et Agathe, 2020.

Pigment International founder Patricia Andrews-Keenan, Carole Kvasnevski of her namesake gallery, author Halima Taha and collector Aeon Cummings, Art Muze. Taha is touring Black run art fairs across the world as research for our upcoming book. Her tome Collecting African-American Art: Works on Paper and Canvas is the definitive book on collecting Black art.. Taha is traveling the world collecting information on Black run art fairs for her new book.

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Work by Ana Silva, Enfant 009, 2022, woven plastic bags, embroidery

Joana Choumali, Maria Del Pilar, 2022, Embroidery on digital photography printed on canvas

Nicolas Lambelet Coleman, Fountain in the Medina, 2022, oil on wood panel. The artist created self portraits of his travels around Morocco for the show.

Great dress, more great art. by Reggie Khumalo

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Abdoulaye Konaté, Suprématie Ashanti N°2, 2022, Fabric

Shout out to Moroccan street artists.

ABDULRAZAQ AWOFESO’S “BROAD STREETS” TELLS A STORY OF INTERCONNECTIVITY AND WINS OVER CROWDS AT THE 1-54 CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN ART SHOW

By Vee L. Harrison

When we realize the interconnection between human life, we tend to have a better understanding of ourselves, and other cultures that struggle to understand our own. Abdulrazaq Awofeso may have found that sweet spot in humanity; that sweet spot that joins together cultures from different longitudes, different latitudes.

Awofeso, was for the first time, represented by London-based curator and gallery Ed Cross at the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair. His sculptural portraits were masterpieces made from thrown away wooden pallets the artist had collected during his travels.

Pallet wood and acrylic paint

AND A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL

AFRICA IS WHERE THE HEART IS, BUT HOME IS CHICAGO

By Vee L. Harrison

I stood under a cotton tree, February 7, 2023 in Marrakech, Morocco. As a Black woman living in America’s third largest city, I felt small. I realized what a cotton tree once meant for my ancestors, and what standing under one in 2023 meant for me and my legacy.

I was there in Marrakech for the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Show, but of course I knew traveling to Africa would mean so much more. It is unarguably the very land in which Africans were stripped of and where our culture and truth was stripped down. It was emotional having my feet in the grass and taking in the air of the diaspora. I heard voices when I walked down the busy streets of Marrakech, and not just the voices of the traders or the sellers, but the voices of who once was. The howling pains of slaves, runaways, and babies being snatched from thier mothers arms. I heard screams of intimidating white slave masters, and the whips against the wind and human flesh.

The author pictured right.

PIGMENT CURATED ARTISTS ON THE 9INES VALENTINE'S DAY EVENTS

Pigment International's residency ends this month joins us for our farewell event on Saturday February 26th

A Paint & Sip for community members was held at Artists on the 9ines for Valentine's Day

Commissioner Kenneth J. Meyer Chicago Department of Business, Affairs and Consumer and Consumer Protection and Chicago Deputy Mayor for Neighborhood & Economic Development, Samir Mayekar with founder Patricia Andrews-Keenan toured our space on Friday and took home Pigment Magazines.

Alijah Abdullateef, a senior at Gary Comer College Prep, visited Artists on the 9ine recently. The aspiring artist met with various professional artists and the Greater Chatham Initiative's artist-in-residence, Artist in Residence Anthony Schleicher provided feedback on his work, helpful career advice, and other valuable insight on selecting the right college art program as he forges his personal career pathway.

Guest, Jacqueline Henry, Program Manager LISC, Nedra Sims Fears, Greater Chatham Initiative, and Phyliss North of Pigment International welcome guests to our Valentine's Day activation.

BLAKE LENOIR'S WORK TO HIGHLIGHT TANG ART FOUNDATION FUNDRAISER

Chicago based artist and Pigment International OG, Blake Lenoir has been invited to include his work in an exhibition mounted by the Tang Art Foundation called “Killing Me Softly." The exhibition will serve as a fundraiser for their cancer foundation.

Pigment International will print its first Black Fine Art Gallery Guide this March to coincide with the release of its fourth magazine. The aesthetic will be in keeping with our award winning Pigment Magazine and our inaugural cover will feature Waterkolours Fine Art Gallery in Memphis. Additionally, we will profile the gallery and some of their artists. We invite your gallery to be included with a photo listing, an artist profile or gallery profile. Click the image above to order or e-mail us at pigmentintl@gmail.com