THE CURATOR
The Alchemy of Colour and Matter
14 March - 27 April, 2025
“‘The Alchemy of Colour and Matter’ examines how each artist manipulates materiality and colour to imbue their work with meaning, creating pieces that transcend their raw components and emerge as powerful symbols of genealogy, self-expression, and sanctuary. I look at these compositions and I know exactly who these women are.” Sosa Omorogbe, Curator
“The Alchemy of Colour and Matter”, a collaboration between two African women-led enterprises, underscores the vital contributions of women in the continent’s art market while exemplifying the power of partnership in amplifying diverse and often forgotten voices in fostering cultural discourse.
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#alchemyofcolourandmatter #adacontemporaryartgallery #arabaopoku #mimiaduserwaah #nachainkuareindorf #roisinjones #sikaamakye #tiztaberhanu #africa #ghana #ethiopia #uk #contemporaryafricanart #africanart #sculpture #painting #textileart #mixedmedia #artghana
#accra #exhibition #artgallery #blackartists #womenartists #materiality #artcuration #alchemy #artnews @_the1897
Freedom in Multitudes is finally open!! Glory be to God. 🥰🙏🏾
So so grateful to everyone who came to our opening. The energy was indescribable. Thank you thank you thank you.
This was an incredibly emotional experience. An exhibition of firsts for me: first show outside of Nigeria, first show I’ve curated entirely on my own, first show for my baby @_the1897 , first show since I underwent a lot of significant personal growth/changes, first show since I finally left 9-5 life for reallll and the first show where I’ve been able to do everything I’ve wanted and more!
1897 is about Community — building a global community dedicated to amplifying Black and African art. I’m so excited to start that journey in London, where I spent many of my formative years and built some of my strongest relationships.
The exhibition is fun! and light! But it still tackles the important questions around the conception of Black identity and it dares to ask - who would we be if we were totally free? This exhibition is a celebration of the complexity of Black identity — or at least the beginning of one. I hope we continue celebrating.
I’m grateful to have worked with a stable of artists who tackle this issue with such dexterity and bravery. @onakoya_afeez@amandashingirai@adamsanne_@nolaayoola_@ousmane_the1st@rachelseidu@iam_roisin@solaolulode@uthmanwahaab , thank you so much 💗🫶🏾
Grateful to my team, @chioma.stephanie.art@theonlytomilola We’ve been through it but we’re finally hereee!!
So yeah, come see the show! (And buy a piece… or three 👀)
Opening Times:
Monday - Sunday
12PM - 6PM
32 Connaught Street, London W2 2AF
Last week: An Evening in Venice with @theosahonokunbofoundation 💫🌠
Proud of what TOOF has built in its first year, and genuinely excited for what year two holds: a deepened commitment to preserving and promoting Nigerian and African diasporic arts, culture, and heritage.
Always grateful for the chance to commune with old friends and new ones 🫶🏾
The 61st Venice Biennale, In Minor Keys. 🖤 celebrating the legacy of Madame Koyo now and always — with community, care, quietude and beauty.
#LaBiennalediVenezia #InMinorKeys #KoyoKouoh
‘This Bloom I Borrow’
@aidamuluneh at @efiegallery
A deeply spiritual, profound exploration of self. An expansion of what image-making can be. And ultimately, a love letter to the beauty, resilience, and spirit of African women.
“This Bloom I Borrow is for the women of Africa who continue to move forward despite constraint, despite expectation, despite erasure… This work is not about arrival. It is about endurance. It is about motion… It is a testament to persistence, to self-reliance, and to the belief that moving forward, again and again, is itself an act of resistance.”
— Aïda Muluneh
What was meant to be a quick work trip turned into two and a half weeks. I am so grateful to have been surrounded by family in such turbulent and unsettling times. Maintaining any sense of normalcy felt surreal, but it reminded me that we have to actively seek and protect our joy. In the big moments and the small ones. It was also a reminder that in a globalised world, no conflict is truly someone else’s problem — empathy and compassion must always lead. 🤍
A few favourites from @investeccapetownartfair 🫶🏾❤️🔥
Old loves and new discoveries. Never taking for granted that my job constantly encountering beauty, creativity and brilliance at this scale.
Installation day 🤍
📍 Booth L7, Lookout Section
Easily the smoothest install I’ve ever had, which feels like a small miracle during fair week. Grateful for an easy setup and for the privilege of presenting the works of these incredible artists. Thank you @onakoya_afeez , @iam_roisin , and @yanma_f .
Very proud to be showing To Be Held, To Be Seen at @investeccapetownartfair and to be expanding The 1897’s presence on the continent in this way.
Looking forward to seeing everyone in Cape Town this weekend ❗️
