Celebrating the rise of African female artists

International Women’s Day has been celebrated on 8th March for over one hundred years. Yet, in many aspects of life, African women are still fighting for equality.

From tech to media, to the sports and film industry, all the way to the top of government and the boards of some of the continent’s biggest companies, African women face inequality in all sectors, including in legal protections, opportunities, and pay. Nevertheless, in recent years, nowhere has seen as much progress on the representation of women as the African continent.

This is especially true in the creative sector. From fine art to film and music, the past decade has seen women rise to prominence in Africa’s contemporary creative scene. Once absent from the media, the experiences of African women are today gaining international visibility, thanks to the rise of new technology.

Female African artists are today being recognised by some of the most prominent names in the world of art, including the Venice Biennale, Tate, Frieze Art Far, and Sotheby’s, amongst many others.

Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi’s exhibition at the Louis Vuitton Foundation in 2017 was a landmark moment for female African artists on the international art scene. Navigating the field of art as social practice and dedicating her time to studio, video and performance, Thenjiwe has been defining and affirming a new contemporary South African identity. By placing ‘images of black people on the walls of key institutions’, she challenges an audience not used to such visuals.

Not only are female African artists being showcased at high profile international institutions; their artwork is also on average selling at auction for more than the work of their male peers. The work of female African artists have fetched millions at auction, for example: Marlene Dumas ($6.3m), Julie Mehretu ($5.6m) and Irma Stern ($4m).Yet, despite this, female African artists are still largely underrepresented and undervalued

Even though many of the contemporary African female artists who exhibit their work in galleries and museums around the world no longer live full time in Africa, such as Lubaina Himid, Lina Iris Viktor, and Toyin Ojih Odutola, their work has had a significant impact on drawing international attention to the artists and art forms developing on the continent. Local artists such as Marion Boehm, Peju Alatise, Portia Zvavahera, and Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi represent some of the most highly praised female artists on the African contemporary art scene. These artists are bringing a fresh perspective to the African art market, creating a promising future for its growth. They are exploring different topics and utilising different techniques, demonstrating the breadth of inspiration and creativity that can be found on the continent.

An example of this is visible from the work by artists Zvavahera and Sunstrum, whose creations are inspired by fiction. Sunstrum’s installations, animations and paintings explore a realm far from our reality and make the spectator take on a cosmological perspective, surprising the audiences. The same effect is obtained by Zvavahera, who draws inspiration from the real of dreams, delving in the exchange of emotions and exploring womanhood in the Zimbabwean society.

With such a variety of styles and themes, female African artists are gaining an important and influential role amongst the international art community. For female artists to thrive and for Africa’s art sector to further expand, not only must talent be continuously supported, but a pan-African collector base for contemporary art should also be developed.