Gedwin Nabuya, “Across White Waters”, 2019

When she moved to her new gallery in the 11th, Anne de Villepoix made a brave change and she was right because her space is spectacular. She has developed a group of contemporary African artists who are all interesting and in parallel with the exhibition “L’Afrique Fantôme” (Phantomatic Africa) which presents them in Lyon at Manifesta until April 3, she shows her twenty best artists at home. I did not love everyone but here are my favorites.

Aliou Diack, Untitled, 2019

The mix of wooden sculptures, beads or leather works and abstract or realistic paintings, is very successful and there is an intimacy in the choice of artists who all come from Angola, Congo, Senegal, Togo… or are African American or French living in Burkina Faso. Armando Marino is the Cuban exception. My first choice was Aliou Diack, a 42 year old Senegalese who left his village  to study in Dakar at 10. He lives there and uses worn out cloth which he leaves outside. The result is a very special texture on which he adds paint and draws.

Franck Lundangi, a sculpture and a painting, “The Spiritual Man”. He comes from Angola and lives in the Loire valley

Franck Lundangi lives in France where he moved from Angola. He used to be a professional football player. He changed career at 30 and explores the perpetual evolution of man and uses fantasy objects. I particularly liked his “Spiritual man”. Atsoupé mostly does self portraits where she changes her hair styler uses flour bags as a body for her dolls. She was born in Lomé, Togo, travelled allover Africa with her parents and studied at Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris where she now lives. She mixes ink and real hair, industrial cloth and her drawings are striking.

Poco&Co, Mask 4 and Mask 5 in leather, 2016

Poco is French born and lives in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, where she oversees a studio dedicated to design and textile. She focuses on the African society and her leather sculptures are very cleverly assembled. She has lived in Africa for many years.

Yveline Tropea, “Mon HLM” (my low income housing), 2018

Yveline Tropea is of Italian origins and lives in Burkina Faso. She works mostly with pearls and beads.

Derrick Adams and Yashua Klos live in the US and Warsame Uman in Somalia. The variety of the show is such that you will like many of them.

Next March 19 th, Godwin Namuyimba, a 30 year old from Kampala, Uganda,  will have a solo show in the whole gallery. And Drawing Now art fair at Carreau du Temple on March 25-29.

Galerie Anne de Villepoix, 18 rue du Moulin Joly, Paris 11