The 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair is making preparation to move to a new location for its 2019 New York edition. Having spent four years at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighborhood, 1-54 will relocate to Industria in Manhattan’s West Village. The event space is two blocks south of the Whitney Museum.
The move seems appropriate as the fair is gaining more popularity. In 2018 there were 21 exhibitors; this year 30 participating galleries are expected to present work by more than 70 artists from Africa and the diaspora during 1-54’s New York run from May 2 to May 5. The fair will continue its 1-54 Forum program for discussions and talks.
“We flirted with the idea for a couple years,” Touria El Glaoui, 1-54’s director, reported in an interview. “Pioneer Works have been amazing partners, and we’re really sad to leave there. But the galleries told us of their desire to move closer to their audience and their collectors. They felt that we were considered a fringe fair, being in Brooklyn.”
1-54 coincides with the Frieze New York fair on Randall’s Island and is named for the notion of one continent with 54 countries. The event has grown due to an increased interest in African art.
“It was something we needed to do, and I think we found the right place,” El Glaoui said. “The fact that we’re so close now to collectors in the center of town is helpful for the fair. I don’t want to isolate contemporary art from the continent by staying in Brooklyn. We need to be in the middle of things.”
