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Making African Contemporary Art Accessible to All
Being successful and finding the right business model in the art and cultural field is not an easy journey. New Afro, founded in 2022, was created with the main goal of connecting creative scenes from the African continent to others. Our mission has always been to make African contemporary art accessible to every social group, no matter their cultural background. To achieve this, we have concentrated our work on two main pillars:
1. Curational Activities
With at least 1–2 exhibitions per year, in collaboration with international and cultural institutions, we have provided an expressive platform for both newcomers and established artists of African heritage. These exhibitions focus on societal topics that resonate with people in Europe and Africa alike, exploring themes such as basic human emotions, mental health issues, heritage, identity, reparations, and restitutions.
A unique aspect of our exhibitions has been the interactive engagement with visitors. This approach has made our journey so far a successful one, opening many doors and helping us connect with creatives around the world. It has also reassured us of the importance of multicultural storytelling and diverse voices in fostering a world with fewer stereotypes.
2. Handmade Creative Items: Challenges and Lessons
For the past 1.5 years, our second pillar has been the import and export of handmade creative items crafted by African artisans and their diaspora. From Touareg rings made by artisans in Ivory Coast to cowrie hats, sustainable jeans, and vegan candles, we aimed to showcase the unique savoir-faire and creativity of African talent.
The interest of our clients steadily grew during this time. However, the difficult infrastructure and restrictive import/export laws between Africa and Europe made it challenging for small businesses like ours to thrive. Instead of achieving our goals, we often found ourselves losing time, energy, and resources.
Looking Forward: The Future of New Afro
For 2025 and the years ahead, we have decided to focus our business activities on distributing prints of curated and unique artworks created by African artists and their diaspora. This decision came after a long period of reflection, and we feel that now is the right time to move forward. Our observation from the past years is that art remains elitist, and purchasing original artworks is even more so. Visitors to our exhibitions have often expressed a desire to own art but were discouraged by the high prices. Furthermore, African contemporary art is still inaccessible to many due to shipping expenses and tax fees.
With the launch of “The BorderlessGallery”, we aim to make African contemporary art accessible to everyone, no matter where they are or what their cultural background may be. At the same time, we will maintain the quality of the original artworks through a curated selection of artists and an exceptional client experience.
We are excited to start this journey and count on your support to bring meaningful change to the field. Keep an eye on our social media and website for updates. The Print Shop will be available in the coming weeks.
Chéria Bayer
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