LONDON ART WEEK

ART SOUTH AFRICA / 2014

Thanks to the prominence and size of Frieze Art Fair taking place from the 15th to 18th October, the week has officially become London Art Week. The art scene players take full advantage of the masses of art-lovers and collectors who descend on Regent's Park, organising concurrent events to tempt these crowds into expanding their art viewing beyond Frieze. One such event is 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair, now in its second year.

Being my first time in London during Art Week, I was admittedly more excited about attending Frieze. After all, it is one of the largest art fairs in the world, with people coming from all over to view some of the globe's top contemporary art. However, by the end of the week, I found that 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair had made a bigger impression.

Housed in two wings of Somerset House, 1:54 was easy to engage with. Each gallery was given its own room, allowing them to present individually curated shows. The works are given the space to make an impact; a level of personal engagement is created by these intimate spaces. Works like Peju Alatise's Missing, a bright graphic series that looks at the young women recently kidnapped in Nigeria, is given the space and prominence it deserves, visually engaging the viewer. After drawing you in with its aesthetic appeal, the text alongside the work explains the intention behind it, bringing awareness to the story of the kidnapped girls.

For some, the smaller scale of 1:54 might be an element to lament, but in truth it's size allows for a far deeper engagement with the works on show. The organisers admit that trying to represent an entire continent is impossible, and the fact that we even need a fair of 'African Art' is problematic. Yet invariably we do. Art from the African continent has been both mis- and under-represented, and until this imbalance has been addressed, we need events like 1:54 to bring attention to even a small portion of the art coming from and representing Africa.

I spoke to Touria El Glaoui, founder of the fair, who explained that 1:54 is not claiming to represent African Art, but instead gives a platform to artists, showcasing the huge variety of cultures and artistic practices that make up the incredibly diverse continent. It is a valuable step towards promoting art influenced by the African continent in an international arena.

while we have a long way to go in getting people to look at an artwork beyond its geographic location, the preconceptions that define 'African' art are widening.

Showcasing 27 galleries from around the world, with art from both the continent and the diaspora, 1:54 illustrates how 'Africa' has become more of an affinity or sense of belonging than a geographic location. The old divides between the diaspora and those who live on the continent seem to be finally disappearing. Miriam Syowia Kyambi (Kenyan- impossible, and the based) and Arlene Wandera (London-based), both represented by ARTLabAfrica, agreed that while we have a long way to go in getting people to look at an artwork beyond its geographic location, the preconceptions of the boundaries that define 'African' art are widening. Artists do not limit themselves by these arbitrarily imposed restrictions.

One of the aims of the fair itself is to redress these old views, and the variety of works on show succeeded in doing this. 1:54 does not simply take advantage of the supposed 'boom' in the African Art market (or as El Glaoui more accurately describes, the "steady growth"), but rather takes the opportunity to portray a small selection of the incredible variety of art being produced within an African identity.

Galerie Imane Farès showed the work of Sammy Baloji, including large photographic works looking at the impact of colonialism in the Congo. Alongside this they showcased work by Moroccan artist Mohamed El Baz, including Bricoler L'Incurable. Details. Mystery skull, a photographic print of what looks like a traditional African mask, with a neon fist superimposed over the image. Both works clearly address issues around colonialism, tradition, struggle, freedom and progress, yet the artists are from vastly different cultures. Their works are in conversation with one another, maintaining a strong link.

In contrast to 1:54, Frieze was huge, overwhelming and crammed full of art. The large tent in Regent's Park housed gallery booths from all over the world. As much as I was looking forward to viewing the collection on show, I found it impossible to maintain the level of attention required to engage with the individual artworks. Instead, it became more like browsing; part of the commercial aspects of art fairs that is so lamented. Unless, like the Gagosian booth, you have brightly coloured walls and a giant mushroom sculpture by Carsten Höller, or a large Cerith Wyn Evins chandelier (at White Cube Gallery), it's difficult for more subtle gallery stands to make an impression.

What does seem to draw the crowds, with Frieze taking full advantage this year, is performance art. United Brothers, part of Frieze's 'Live' initiative, presented a performance in which the artists' mother cooked soup made from vegetables grown in Fukishima. The crowd surrounding the old woman could choose to eat the soup made from possibly radioactive vegetables, or stand by and watch. Either way, they were forced to consider the history of Fukishima and how it still affects people today. By using the medium of performance, the artists drew the audience in, forcing them to consider the implications of the work and their own part to play in it, breaking the barrier between the casual observer and the artwork.

One minute's walk from Frieze was the outdoor Sculpture Park. One of the few truly public art shows during Art Week, the Sculpture Park attracted a very different crowd. Instead of the fashionable stiletto-wearing viewers coolly observing art inside the tent at Regent's Park, the Sculpture Park had small children drumming on artworks, ignoring the 'Do Not Touch' signs.

The variety of works on show played with scale and materiality, both enhancing and altering the public space they were in. While Frieze inevitably begins to feel like an art market, the works in the Sculpture Park came across as considered, curated and selected. The artists on show were able to create works that could be viewed and engaged with individually, by an audience there to appreciate rather than purchase.

And then there was Frieze Masters, the older, more reserved sibling of Frieze. It had a distinctly historical approach, showing works from Old Masters alongside Modern Art; Rembrandt in one stand, with Andy Warhol and Bridget Riley next door. Spotlight was their attempt to introduce more contemporary art to the mix. Showcasing artists from around the world, Spotlight highlighted works by well-established artists, in conversation with the classical and modern works on show.

Representing South Africa was Sue Williamson, her work exploring issues of apartheid and travel restrictions. Unlike many of the other booths, it was the relationship between the works that was foregrounded, rather than the individual works themselves. It was not simply a showcase of Williamson's work, but an integrated and well-curated show.

As a whole, Frieze was impressive in its size and vastness. Despite that, I found 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair more engaging, in spite (or because) of its smaller scale. While it is surely the aim of 1:54 to grow in size and scope, I hope it manages to maintain what has made it so successful — an intimate approach that enhances audience engagement with the wide variety of work coming out of Africa.

By Siobhan Keam for Art South Africa.