Ten years ago, Accra Cultural Week was launched as a local initiative to showcase Ghana's artistic scene. Today, as the global art market increasingly turns its attention to the African continent, the event, organized by Gallery 1957, celebrates its tenth anniversary with an edition designed to reinforce Accra's position as one of the leading hubs for contemporary art on the international stage.
The 2026 edition, taking place in the Ghanaian capital, will revolve around the exhibition Where the Earth Remembers, staged across the 1,400-square-meter UNLIMITED space at Gallery 1957. Curated by the gallery's founder, Marwan Zakhem, the exhibition brings together some of the most influential figures in contemporary African art alongside a new generation of artists from Ghana and its diaspora.
Featured artists include Ibrahim Mahama, Amoako Boafo, Gideon Appah, and Rita Mawuena Benissan, alongside Ibrahim El-Salahi, Abdoulaye Konaté, Tunji Adeniyi-Jones, Kaloki Nyamai, Modupeola Fadugba, and Godfried Donkor. Rather than offering a simple survey of the contemporary art scene, the exhibition explores themes of memory, heritage, and belonging, fostering a dialogue between different generations and artistic practices ranging from painting and sculpture to textiles and photography.
In recent years, Gallery 1957 has played a pivotal role in raising the international profile of Ghanaian art. Founded in 2016, the gallery has helped establish artists who are now represented in major international collections and institutions, in parallel with the rise of a cultural scene that has transformed Accra into an increasingly important destination for curators, museums, and collectors.
The most significant development of this year's edition, however, concerns the Yaa Asantewaa Women's Art Prize, established in 2021 to support women artists from Ghana and the Ghanaian diaspora. For the first time, the prize will also be open to artists from Senegal, thanks to a partnership with the Institut Français du Sénégal, marking a regional expansion that extends beyond national borders.
The 2026 edition will therefore award two prizes: one to a Ghanaian artist and one to a Senegalese artist. The winners will receive an international residency in both countries, a solo exhibition in their home country, and a cash award of US$5,000. The stated ambition is to develop the prize into one of the leading awards dedicated to women artists across Africa.
Accra Cultural Week will also continue to involve a wide range of cultural institutions throughout the city, including the Nubuke Foundation, Artists Alliance Gallery, and Si Hene Foundation, as well as visits to the studios of artists such as Amoako Boafo and Kwesi Botchway. The program will feature exhibitions, artist residency visits, and initiatives exploring the relationship between art, sport, and community.
The festival's tenth anniversary comes at a time when Africa's art ecosystem is redefining its own balance. Whereas international recognition of African art once depended largely on biennials, Western art fairs, and major European and American museums, cities such as Accra, Lagos, Dakar, and Marrakech are now building cultural infrastructures capable of producing research, supporting artists, and attracting international institutions without relying exclusively on Western art circuits.
(Associated Medias) - Tutti i diritti sono riservati