‍

In the past decade, contemporary African art has moved from the margins of the global art world to its very centre. This was not a trend manufactured by the market - it was a cultural movement led by artists, curators, and communities long before the art fairs caught on.

‍

What we are witnessing now is not a wave, but a reckoning. The long-overdue recognition that the African continent has always been a source of creativity, complexity, and radical beauty. The difference is that now, the world is finally looking. And more importantly, listening.

‍

Institutions that once excluded African voices are now rethinking their collections, exhibitions, and assumptions. Major shows at the Tate Modern, Zeitz MOCAA, Fondation Louis Vuitton, to name but a few, have helped shift the spotlight. But the real change has come from the artists themselves.

‍

From El Anatsui and Yinka Shonibare to Zanele Muholi, Ibrahim Mahama, and Njideka Akunyili Crosby, African artists have personally expanded the language of global contemporary art, blending personal history and political critique, with craft traditions and futuristic visions. They are not just participating in the art world - they are reshaping it.

‍

As a collector and cultural patron, I've watched this transformation with deep admiration. The rise of African art isn't about geography - it is about perspective. These artists bring a multiplicity of viewpoints, histories, and strategies that challenge how we think about modernity, identity, and form itself.

‍

What excites me most is the infrastructure being built alongside the art: galleries in Accra, Lagos, Cape Town, and Nairobi. Independent biennials. Residency programs. A new generation of collectors from across the continent. These are not merely satellite extensions of Western models - they represent new cultural ecosystems with their own rhythms and rules.

‍

At ModernForms, we have always believed in collecting with intent. That means investing in voices that expand the conversation. Supporting artists not because they are fashionable, but because they are necessary.

‍

Africa is not emerging, it is surging. A renaissance led by artists not markets. And those of us who care about culture, need to do more than admire it - we need to engage, support, and most of all, learn.

‍

The future of contemporary art is global.

‍

And Africa is at its center.

‍