Slimen Elkamel, La nature est une théologie populaire, 2024
Booth W4
On the occasion of the 2024 edition of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London, Nil Gallery presents a curated exhibition featuring works by five distinctive contemporary African artists: Sara Benabdallah, Nabil El Makhloufi, Slimen Elkamel, Fathi Hassan, and Caleb Kwarteng Prah. This selection brings together a rich diversity of artistic voices, each engaging with complex themes of identity, memory, and cultural histories while pushing the boundaries of contemporary art.
Sara Benabdallah delves into themes of femininity and social expectations in her native Morocco. Her work often draws on personal narratives and collective memories, blending the intimate with the political to question traditional gender roles in Moroccan society. Through nuanced, poetic compositions, Benabdallah creates reflective spaces that invite contemplation on the evolving roles of women in contemporary culture.
Nabil El Makhloufi explores ideas of migration, displacement, and the search for belonging. His paintings evoke emotional landscapes that merge the real with the abstract, capturing the liminal space between home and exile. With a keen sensitivity to color and form, El Makhloufi’s work reflects the fragmented nature of memory, drawing attention to both physical and emotional journeys.
Slimen Elkamel taps into the metaphysical realm, creating richly detailed works that weave together surrealism and Tunisian folklore. His art often features intricate patterns and dreamlike scenarios, offering a visual narrative that bridges the natural and the mystical. Elkamel’s work challenges viewers to reconsider the boundaries between the seen and the unseen, the physical and the spiritual.
Fathi Hassan, a pioneer in African diasporic art, engages deeply with the power of language and its role in shaping cultural identity. His abstract, calligraphic works evoke a sense of forgotten languages and lost histories, reflecting on the erasure of African voices through colonialism. Through his inventive use of script, Hassan’s work captures the tension between silence and expression, offering a meditative exploration of cultural memory.
Caleb Kwarteng Prah, a rising talent from Ghana, infuses his multidisciplinary practice with vibrant energy and cultural symbolism. His bold, colorful compositions are deeply rooted in Ghanaian visual traditions, yet they speak to broader narratives of African identity and self-representation in the contemporary world. Prah’s work brings a fresh perspective to African abstraction, playing with texture, form, and symbolism to explore themes of heritage and personal identity.
Collectively, these five artists challenge, reimagine, and reclaim African and diasporic narratives. Through their distinct practices, they offer a tapestry of perspectives that span from the deeply personal to the widely collective, engaging with Africa’s past, present, and future.
