AKAA Paris 2023

From October 20-22 we will be in Paris for the AKAA Fair, dedicated to artists from Africa and diaspora in France. OpenArtExchange will present a selection of art works from our exhibition “Spirituality”, the third in a series on identity. Human spirituality is core to the true make up of one’s identity, that sense what or who a person is in his most intimate core, individually or as part of a community. Spirituality is that internal sense and belief in something bigger than you, some form of interconnectedness with other lives, nature or the wider universe, the Sacred, the Divine. It has been from all times and all cultures, from the inception of mankind. For some it is religion, for others meditation or rituals, even atheists have a spiritual self. Spirituality alleviates us, it keeps us sane and helps us face the impossible and, ultimately, death. On AKAA we will present the works of Sanda Amadou (Benin) and Serge Diama (DR Congo) who go in search of what spirituality means to them. ​

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Amadou, researcher of African traditional beliefs with Fulani roots, returns with a new episode in his synthetic hairworks project with the “Sacred”-series, this time combining a tableau of (semi-)sculptures of braided synthetic hair and mixed media on metal wires and canvas, reflecting his own contemporary re-interpretation of symbols of deeply rooted beliefs about ancestor worship and nature. ​

Diama shows the typical African religious blend of Christianity and traditional African beliefs with his “Révélations”-series, pictoral surrealist visions in oil and mixed media collages on canvas and mini canvas tapestries, seamlessly combining clearly biblical connotations with traditional African masks and other ancient symbolism. ​

Should you wish an invitation, please send an email to info@openartexchange.com to request one. We hope to see you there! You can find us in booth C4. It is also possible to view our AKAA stand online through Artsy from October 17-27 using this link.