Featuring artists whose works redefine self-perception, the exhibition challenges monolithic representations of identity by showcasing the depth and richness of Black identity through explorations of heritage, materialism, fluidity, mythology, and form.
On View: October 5 – 14, 2024
September 23, 2024 (London, UK) – Creative agency 1897 launches the 1897 Gallery with ‘Freedom in Multitudes’. In a profound interrogation of identity, the African Diaspora, and the enduring legacies of colonialism, the exhibition will bring together nine artists living across Japan, Nigeria, England, and the US whose works unveil the complex nuances of self-perception, transcending external expectations and societal limitations. Exhibited collectively for the first time, works on paper, sculptures, installations, paintings and photographic works will be on view at 32 Connaught Street in London, from October 5 – October 14, 2024.
Initiated by 1897 founder Sosa Omorogbe, the 1897 Gallery empowers the expansion of an unexpected, manifold conversation on the legacy of colonialism and its impact on modern identity. Marking the first show of a series of exhibitions that will be presented in 2025, ‘Freedom in Multitudes’ transcends 1897 Gallery’s curatorial concept inspired by W.E.B. Du Bois's theory of double consciousness, which he describes as “always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others.” In conversation with Du Bois, the exhibition investigates the feeling of always looking at oneself through one’s own eyes – a single-consciousness, where one’s self-image is formed of the knowledge and perception of what lies within, not as a factor of an existence as “other”. Moving beyond traditional figuration of bodies, the featuring artists recognize the complex amalgam that is a human being, unifying rather than fragmenting its nuances through visual representations that reflect the freedom and fluidity of existing across multitudes.
A common way to understand the multitudes within is by using one’s heritage as a lens to examine the present and forecast the future. Exhibiting collage works for the first time, artist Anne Adams navigates her identity as a sum of past, present and future, interrogating hybridity and reflecting on the nuances of identity within a post-colonial, post-human and post-feminist framework. Lineage and heritage also play a key role In Nola Ayoola’s work, paying homage to traditional African craftsmanship practices, uncommon in contemporary fine art. Ayoola’s works document the human experience using organza and cotton to form multidimensional, layered works that depict the threads of one’s life weaving into one interlocked, unified whole. For artists Afeez Onakoya and Ousmane Bâ, traversing the scope of one’s identities takes place through the manipulation of traditional figuration. Bâ’s influences span his existence as a Fulani Senegalese-Guinean living and working in Japan. Employing Nihonga, a traditional Japanese painting technique, Bâ’s figures resemble sculptures in motion, coming to life against a backdrop of washi paper collage. Like Bâ, Onakoya employs traditional methods to achieve unconventional results. His mastery of charcoal and figuration transcends established boundaries to create dynamic compositions of contorted, kinetic bodies – visual poems of bodies existing in a liminal space.
Rich in both materiality and concept, the artworks serve as vessels that explore the boundaries between the individual and collective experience, offering layered insights into the complexities of the Black and African existence in the modern world. 1897 Gallery enables a nomadic, fluid space where cross-cultural narratives can unfold with depth and nuance and claim cultural influence in an interconnected global landscape.
NOTES TO EDITORS
‘Freedom in Multitudes’ will be on view from October 5 - October 14, 2024, at CassildART in London.
Opening Weekend:
Address:
32 Connaught Street, Connaught Village,
London W2 2AF
United Kingdom
Opening Reception:
Saturday 5 October, 5 - 8 p.m.
Opening Hours:
Monday to Sunday | 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Additional Program:
Sunday 6 October
Artist workshop with Nola Ayoola | | 1 – 4 p.m.
Panel talk with three Black women gallerists moderated by 1897 founder Sosa Omorogbe | 5 – 7 p.m.
Saturday 12 October
Curator-led tours | 2 – 3:30 p.m.
Sunday 13 October
Curator-led tours | 2 – 3:30 p.m.
Artist talk with Uthman Wahaab, Sola Olulode, and Roisin Jone | 4 – 6 p.m.
About 1897:
1897 is a creative agency that focuses on amplifying Black and African Art through collaboration and meaningful discourse. Our mission is to act as a global connector, building an international community dedicated to celebrating and advancing Black and African art across the diaspora. With "collaboration" at the epicenter of our approach, we are committed to curating diverse programmes in alliance with art professionals and practitioners around the world. Our programmes will showcase works by artists across all mediums and experience levels. By placing a varied cohort of artists in conversation with each other, we shall explore the breadth and complexity of the Black and African experience. Through immersive, multi-sensory experiences, 1897 engages with the myriad possibilities of seeing and experiencing art.1897 seeks to explore common threads of heritage, identity, memory, and consciousness. The agency operates across 2 departments: The 1897 Gallery and the 1897 Advisory.
The 1897 Gallery is a contemporary gallery specializing in Black and African art. The Gallery adopts a nomadic exhibition format aimed at connecting international audiences with artists throughout Africa and its diaspora, thus fostering global community-building. The 1897 Gallery bridges the gap between global emerging artists and masters of Contemporary and Modern Art, exploring the Black and African experience across distance and time.
The 1897 Advisory offers bespoke advisory services to our clients, with an eye towards building valuable collections. We advise on art of all media from every sector of the art market-from new and emerging to established and blue-chip artists.
About the Founder:
Sosa Omorogbe is a multidisciplinary arts practitioner, working as a curator, advisor, gallerist, and creative consultant. Community, culture and heritage are the pillars of Sosa’s curatorial practice, which is dedicated to the exploration of contemporary Black identity. Her practice emphasizes the importance of preserving memory and tracing heritage as the foundation of forging intentional futures. Her exhibitions aim to foster cross-cultural collaboration and community-building. Sosa currently serves as Founder & CEO of 1897, a creative agency dedicated to amplifying Black and African Art through collaboration and meaningful discourse. The agency’s mission is to act as a global connector, building an international community dedicated to celebrating and advancing Black and African art across the diaspora. Prior to founding 1897, she co-founded SABO Art, a leading art advisory and curatorial firm. She began her career in the arts handling fair programming as well as VIP and Collector relations at ART X Lagos, West Africa’s premier international art fair. Following this, she proceeded to work with institutions within the African arts ecosystem, including The Ben Enwonwu Foundation and Yinka Shonibare CBE’s Guest Artist Space (G.A.S) Foundation. Sosa’s expertise also extends to classical African art with a focus on the ‘Benin Bronzes’, on which she has conducted in-depth research. Outside of art, Sosa’s professional experience includes Corporate Finance, focusing on Investment Banking. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Columbia University in New York and a Certificate in Art History and Art Business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art, London.
Image Credits:
1. Ousmane Bâ, Throne, 2024 Japanese mineral pigment on washi paper on wood panels, 70 x 100 cm. Courtesy of 1897.
2. Anne Adams, Radical Bearer II, 2024, Collage assemblage on archival paper, ink, watercolor and gouache, 46 x 61 cm. Courtesy of 1897.
3. Amanda Shingirai Mushate, Zvinokosheswa - Valuables, 2023 Oil on canvas 100 x 120 cm
4. Uthman Wahaab, Wild Flower Obsession, 2024, Oil and Acrylic on Canvas, 81 x 77 cm. Courtesy of 1897.