There has been a not-so-quiet awakening in the art world of late as it comes to recognize practices from Africa and the Diaspora. This can be attributed to a number of factors, not least the string of innovative artistic voices coming out of the continent married with the tireless work of prominent curators and scholars including Okwui Enwezor, Koyo Kouoh, Bisi Silva, Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Nzewi, and Elvira Dyangani Ose, among others.
Concurrently, over the last decade a slew of contemporary art spaces have been established across the continent. These largely independent institutions provide indispensable platforms and resources for artists who prefer to cultivate their practices in the metropolitan areas of Lagos, Accra, Luanda, and Kampala over other global centers. Major institutions in the West, from the Tate Modern to the Brooklyn Museum, in a tardy push for greater representation in their collecting and curatorial endeavors have dedicated solo shows to...