Akoje Gallery

Founded in 2023 by Khalil Akar, former director of Signature African Art Gallery, and Maro Itoje, a former professional rugby player and passionate art enthusiast, Akoje Gallery is dedicated to providing a global platform for artists, amplifying their voices and sharing their unique perspectives with a broader audience. The gallery will maintain a continuous online presence with a virtual space while hosting physical locations across Europe, America, and Africa. This 360° platform offers artists year-round opportunities to showcase their talent. In line with the founders’ belief that art should be accessible to all, entry to Akoje Gallery exhibitions will always be free.

Asafo Flags

Asafo Flags is dedicated to the preservation of traditional flag-making in Ghana, working directly with makers. These vibrant textiles are created by the Asafo companies from Southern Ghana, serving as emblems representing the strength, unity, and pride of the Asafo militias who play key roles in community defence and ceremonial events. Each flag is richly symbolic, often depicting proverbs or local folklore. Creative Director and art collector Barbara Eyeson aims to share the powerful narratives embedded in these unique textile artworks, fostering a deeper appreciation for this African art form.

Belinda Zhawi

Belinda is a Zimbabwean-born writer and sound artist who lives and works in London. Her work primarily focuses on memories of living in rural and urban Zimbabwe. She has performed across the UK in numerous venues, festivals and events including at Africa Writes, Bestival and TATE, and her work has been published in the anthologies Liminal Animals and Casagrande: Rain Of Poems. In 2013, Zhawi was featured on Channel 4’s Random Acts and co-founded the monthly poetry night, BORN::FREE. Zhawi was Associate Poet at the ICA from autumn 2016 to spring 2017. Her pamphlet South of South East is published by Bad Betty Press.

Charlotte Leseberg Smith

Charlotte is an independent contemporary curator and creative consultant. Her research and curation focus on translating stories and works of under-represented artists, specialising in looking at the body in the context of accessibility and closeness — human touch, hands, kissing and memory. After achieving a 1st class history of art degree MA hons Edinburgh, with a dissertation looking into disability and chronic illness in performance art, and short courses at the Courtauld and Central Saint Martins, Charlotte continues her research and constant learning of the body in contemporary art through a socio-political lens. Whilst curating, Charlotte continues to strengthen cultural links across disciplines from fashion to art, consulting brands with their creative strategy and collaborations after 6+ years and counting in the art industry working with museums such as Tate, the National Portrait Gallery and the Centre Pompidou.

Dumfries House

Dumfries House, one of Britain’s most beautiful stately homes, is set in 2,000 acres of picturesque land. This 18th-century estate features neoclassical architecture by Robert Adam and exquisite furniture by Thomas Chippendale.

In 1743, William Crichton-Dalrymple, the 5th Earl of Dumfries, retired to his Ayrshire estate and commissioned the Adam brothers—Robert, John, and James—to design a grand house. Their completed drawings were presented in 1754, and construction began shortly after. The foundation stone was laid on July 18, 1754, and the house was named Dumfries House in line with the Earl’s title. The house was completed on time and on budget in 1759.

Dumfries House remained a family home until 1993, when Lady Eileen, Dowager Marchioness of Bute, passed away. The house then remained in the hands of the 7th Marquess of Bute, who ensured its maintenance, although it was not used as a primary residence. In 2007, the house was offered for sale, and two auction dates were set. However, a consortium led by Prince Charles succeeded in purchasing the house and its contents, preserving one of the most important collections of Georgian furniture and ensuring the estate’s future.

Today, Dumfries House stands as a testament to its rich history and the efforts to preserve it for future generations. Dumfries House has become a hub for education and community engagement. It hosts numerous educational programs and workshops aimed at promoting traditional skills, sustainability, and heritage conservation. These initiatives provide valuable learning opportunities for people of all ages, ensuring that the legacy of Dumfries House continues to inspire and educate.

ECKOES

A dynamic singer and songwriter, whose performances include Afrofuture Festival in Ghana, London Pride, Glastonbury, and the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, where she sang the national anthem. Her music has been widely celebrated by platforms including Apple Music, BBC 6 Music, Radio 1, Q Magazine, Afropunk, and the MOBO Awards, among others.

Elvardi

Elvardi specialises in crafting high-end, sustainable sneakers that combine style with impact. Our mission goes beyond fashion — we are committed to promoting circularity by offering product care, recycling, and reselling initiatives to reduce waste and minimise our environmental footprint. Our limited-edition shoes support underserved creatives, empowering them to thrive. Join us in championing a bold vision for a fashion-forward, sustainable future where style and purpose intersect.

Eunice Olumide

Scottish supermodel and philanthropist Eunice Olumide is an esteem art Curator and Consultant. Previous clients have included The British Museum, The National Museum of Scotland, Tate and The V&A who and V&A Dundee, who awarded her as a Design Champion. With an MBE for her groundbreaking work in Broadcasting Arts and Charity, a PHD and Masters, she is an author, award winning multi-hyphenate and founder of Olumide Galleries, specialising in contemporary African Art.

Olumide Galleries
The Olumide Gallery was established by MBE Eunice Olumide in 2016 alongside some of the most inimitable artists of this time. At the heart of our philosophy is to champion the finest unique talent in the industry and discovering new talent. Specialising in contemporary African Art. Our specialist team also provide full in-house consultancy.

Website: www.ogallerylondon.com
Instagram: @olumidegallery
Instagram: @euniceolumide

Gabriel Gbadamosi

Gabriel Gbadamosi is an Irish and Nigerian poet and playwright. His London novel Vauxhall (2013) won the Tibor Jones Pageturner Prize and Best International Novel at the Sharjah Book Fair. He was AHRC Creative Fellow at the Pinter Centre, Goldsmiths and a Judith E. Wilson Fellow for creative writing at Cambridge University. He presented BBC Radio 3’s arts and ideas programme Night Waves and is the founding editor of Writers Mosaic.

Hamed Maiye

Hamed Maiye is an interdisciplinary artist based in London. He explores themes revolving around memory, magic, visual archiving, and magical realism, using various materials, such as question language, painting, and image-making. Maiye explores cultural anthropology through mythology, Yoruba philosophy, historical documentation and archiving, which influence the production of his work. Maiye's work presents viewers with allegorical scenarios to invoke introspection, emotional reflections and forged/false memories.

Hatchards

Founded in 1797 by John Hatchard, publisher and anti-slavery campaigner, Hatchards stands as London’s oldest bookshop and an iconic landmark nestled in the heart of central London’s Piccadilly. With a long association with the British royal family since the 18th century, Hatchards proudly holds the distinguished title of royal warrant holder, a testament to its esteemed legacy.

Henry J. Kamara

British born, West African, Sierra Leonean independent visual artist. Henry has almost a decades worth of experience producing and delivering high quality imagery for the world’s most renowned fashion and sports brands. Comfortable working with a film crew.

With a keen passion for documenting major events and personalities, he is particularly interested in society (music and sport), politics and conflict.

With a degree in English and creative writing, Henry believes every image has the potential to tell a story. His attention to detail and intimate portraiture style enables him to craft photography with a depth and realness seldom achieved within traditional commercial photography.

Having immigrated with his family to London from Sierra Leone following the end of the civil war in Freetown, Kamara has developed an aptitude to adapt to challenging environments.

His attitude has taken him from being a self-taught photographer mostly shooting on a point + shoot, to an established household British name amongst his generation of image makers in less than ten years.

A man of the people, Henry is comfortable and able to effectively communicate with high profile talent - quickly making them feel at ease, especially in high pressure situations. The likes of Lewis Hamilton, Ian Wright, Stormzy, Steve McQueen, Bukayo Saka. Kim Jones, Marcus Rashford and more have all had the pleasure of meeting his lens.

Intoart

Irenosen Okojie

Irenosen is a Nigerian British author whose work pushes the boundaries of form, language and ideas. Her novel Butterfly Fish and short story collections Speak Gigantular and Nudibranch have won and been nominated for multiple awards. Her journalism has been featured in The New York Times, the Observer, the Guardian and the Huffington Post. She co-presented the BBC's Turn Up for The Books podcast alongside Simon Savidge and Bastille frontman Dan Smith. Her work has been optioned for the screen. She has judged various literary prizes, including the BBC National Short Story Award and the 2023 Women's Prize for Fiction. Vice Chair of the Royal Society of Literature, she was awarded an MBE For Services to Literature in 2021. She is the director and founder of the multidisciplinary Afrofuturist Black to the Future festival. Her new novel Curandera is published by Dialogue Books.

Jendaya

A creative agency platform, media, fashion and lifestyle brand. Their work includes everything from talent placements to brand partnerships with the likes of Wizkid, Ayra Starr, Adekunle Gold and Tems. They manage activations and deliver projects for over 70 clients, including DefJam, Rosewood Hotels and Casablanca.

Kai Collective

Kai Collective is a London-based contemporary brand intentionally crafted to make women feel their most confident. We use fashion as a conduit for self-expression and self-actualisation by sparking meaningful conversations and empowering women from all walks of life to feel seen and heard.

Kanaiza

Kanaiza Onalo is a creative director, curator and art consultant with an intense passion for art, storytelling and community building. Raised in Kenya, in the buzzing East African city of Nairobi and now an East London native, she draws heavily from her experiences as a citizen of two very different worlds with their own ecosystems and subcultures. Once a former advertising creative director, she now curates through and for KANAIZAKANAIZA, her independent boutique art gallery, community and storytelling studio. Founded in Autumn 2019, the gallery is now home to a global community of over 67,000 international multi-disciplinary artists and art lovers alike with the aims of discovering and celebrating Black artistry worldwide and fostering community and wellbeing in the community.

Kate Haselden

Kate was Research Fellow for the Understanding British Portraits network from 2023 to 2024, completing the project ‘The Unnamed Black Subject: Revealing hidden narratives in William L. Windus’ The Black Boy (1844)'. The project marked the first time the portrait had received dedicated research. Kate was interviewed about her research by The Guardian, BBC News Northwest and BBC Radio. The project was the subject of international coverage by Smithsonian Magazine and Artnet.

Instagram: @katehaselden

Kilentar

Rooted in African heritage, the brand combines contemporary elegance with traditional aesthetics, offering timeless pieces made from sustainable fabrics like vintage handwoven cotton and natural dyes. Timeless pieces that will elevate your wardrobe to last a lifetime. Enter an enchanting universe that celebrates the beauty of waterworld treasures with Kilentar.

Marvel Opera

My work reflects my Nigerian origin. I navigate my way when I work with clay through touch as I am registered Blind, creating impressions of faces and African hairstyles. Pottery has been in my life for many years, it all began when I was seven years old when I made my first mini vase on a kick Potters wheel at my school for visually impaired children. Mr Paddy was a very inspiring teacher who made you feel you could make anything!

My head sculptures can also be used as a functional piece if they are glazed inside and burnished on the outside of the pot. Playing with clay has been very, very therapeutic for me over the years, as well as a hobby. And soon I will be appearing on TV sharing my pottery story!

The creation in the exhibition was made with stoneware clay with a hint of oxide to bring out the textures and definition of the face, and within the bowl-shaped head. The neck is highlighted by a band of ringed lines going up towards the tilted chin pointing upwards. Lips pursed together and the eyes closed. With the forehead disappearing under a headdress which also can be perceived as an Afro. The sculpture gives off an air of regalness as it can even be depicted as queen Nefertiti of Egypt.

Do look me up on my website if you want to know more about commissioning or buying my work.

Rock Leopard Brewing Company

Rock Leopard Brewing Co is a dynamic Black-owned craft brewery founded by Stacey Ayeh, specialising in West Coast style beers. Operating since 2017, the brewery has built a strong reputation through gypsy brewing, collaborating with established breweries like Cloudwater. Now, Rock Leopard is taking the next step by launching a Crowdfunder to establish its first bricks-and-mortar brew pub in Thamesmead, southeast London. This venue will serve as both a craft beer hub and a community space, offering jobs and skills training to local students. With this new project, Rock Leopard aims to inspire the next generation from underrepresented groups to enter the brewing industry.

Severan Wines

Severan Wines is a pioneering Black-owned, invested, and operated wine business dedicated to promoting Black British excellence. Founded by music industry veteran Dumi Oburota and supported by a diverse group of investors, Severan is redefining the UK sparkling wine industry. Their debut creation, Black Label Brut, is a Blanc de Blancs Brut crafted in collaboration with wine partners who share Severan’s commitment to inclusivity, craftsmanship, and sustainability. The wine is produced using Chardonnay grapes from Franschhoek, South Africa, with final fermentation and aging taking place in Hampshire, England, embodying a celebration of Black British creativity and global influence.

Sola Akingbola

Sola Akingbola is the biggest artist you didn’t know you already love. As the percussionist and long-term member of Grammy award-winning band Jamiroquai and composer for the CBS hit sitcom Bob Hearts Abishola, Sola’s music has been in households the world over, a testament to his global influence, even if his name hasn’t been on everyone’s lips.

Delphina 'Panness' James

Delphina ‘Panness’ James is a self-taught musician who has been playing Steel Pan for over three decades, performing in many competitions and teaching around the world. In addition to Steel Pan, she plays the bassoon and saxophone and is a published composer and arranger with two albums, Pan Machine and the Delphina James Steel Ensemble ‘Play Ludo’. She is a published author, producing a progressive music tuition book series for all the different Steel Pans, Learn music on….The Steel Pan. She also performs at events, corporate functions, and private parties. She performs at the Notting Hill Carnival with Stardust Carnival Arts Band, where she is the Musical Director. She is a peripatetic woodwind and Steel Pan teacher for Brent, Ealing and Southwark music services.

Instagram: delphinajamesmusic

Sukai Eccleston (CasildART)

Sukai Eccleston is the founder and CEO of CasildART Contemporary, a not-for-profit gallery dedicated to addressing the underrepresentation of Black artists in fine art institutions, commercial galleries, and museums. The gallery also serves as a vibrant creative hub, hosting talks, events, and networking events. CasildART also collaborates with brands and companies to curate exhibitions in their spaces, creating a more dynamic and inclusive work environment.

TAOH

TAOH is a charitable organisation dedicated to offering people in challenging circumstances access to contemporary art as a form of therapy. They achieve this by renovating hospital rooms with artwork from leading contemporary artists and conducting art workshops. Their goal is to create a therapeutic environment, inspire hope, and enhance the living conditions of both service users and providers.

The Cornrow

The Cornrow is a curation of modern Afrocentric homeware and lifestyle products from across Africa and the diaspora. From textiles from Haiti to artwork designed in East London, the Cornrow founders share goods which celebrate their dual African and Caribbean heritage. Their mission, to tell the under-represented stories of Black and African diaspora design in such a joyful way that you just want to take it home!

The Cornrow presents two busts which conjure up a distinguished and powerful energy and will make presence beautifully felt wherever they are positioned in your home or garden.

The Future Room

With a curatorial focus on the celebration of contemporary Black joy and artistry as a form of resistance in itself, Christie’s Lates and the artists present The Future Room. These rooms will serve as both a pausing of the present and a portal into the future of how Black artists, emerging and established, are shaping their practice today, to inform, to inspire, to fight, to rest, to love, to simply be.

Guests are encouraged to walk through the first room, ‘Rest’, as a recognition of reclaiming what was once historically deprived. Transformation moves us through the second room with ‘Love’, as displayed in all its iterations: self, familial, romantic, a potent force. Moving further to the next room, ‘Joy’ is in rapturous proclamation, with a triumphant finish in the final room, and all eyes on the future: ‘The Next Generation’.

Tony Fairweather

Tony was born in Clapham South, the son of Jamaican parents. He opened one of the first Black bookshops with an art gallery in the UK before working for the Voice newspaper, where he managed the Voice book club that became the biggest black book club in the UK.

In 1989, Tony founded The Write Thing, a book events company that promotes Black authors. This led to him working with a veritable who’s who of the Black literary world, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Bernardine Evaristo, Nina Simone, Dr Maya Angelou, Dr Alice Walker, Dr Toni Morrison, Terry McMillan, Ex-Jamaican Prime Minister Michael N Manley, and many more.

Tony is also the founder and curator of The Windrush Collection, a touring exhibition of artefacts associated with the Windrush Generation. He is the director, writer and producer of The Front Room play and the author of the best-selling novel Twenty-Eight Pounds Ten Shillings, A Windrush Story.

Tonye Ekine

Tony creates immersive, unconventional scenarios with an uncomfortable paradox that reflects societal issues and dilemmas in a post-colonial era. He reveals this through artworks to understand personal, collective roles and experiences in this multi-diverse ecosystem.

His works, which delve into identity, decolonisation, heritage, and the modern forms of masks, are brought to life through his unique perspective. He uses the Ife bronze masks as lenses, re-enacting scenes that his audience can relate to. Like a games master, he sets the stage, inviting the public to become both audience and participants, encouraging them to unravel the message behind each work.

His inspiration is drawn from life drawing sessions, commercial adverts, drawings, photographs, films, and discussions with friends, and he moulds different images to create a broader topic of discussion. He compares himself to a director or producer finding different characters and elements for the scene he intends to enact, using lines, pigment and canvas as his equipment. His design background lets him see the canvases as bank design files. His work is heavily figurative as he strives to balance drawings and paintings, playing with the concept of a finished or unfinished work of art.

Touria El Glaoui

Born and raised in Morocco, Touria El Glaoui completed her education in New York before beginning a career in the banking industry as a wealth management consultant. After 10 years in the field she relocated to London, where she initiated 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in 2013. She has since launched the fair in New York in 2015, in Marrakech in 2018 and in Paris 2021. 1-54 is now a world-leading platform dedicated to contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora.

Parallel to her career, Touria has organised and co-curated exhibitions of her father’s work, Moroccan artist Hassan El Glaoui, in London and Morocco. She has spoken widely and chaired numerous discussions on contemporary African art and women in leadership at leading institutions and events globally.

Touria El Glaoui was listed amongst the 50 most powerful women in Africa by Jeune Afrique magazine in 2015, 2018 and 2019. She is Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres de la République Française since February 2019. She is on the new Scholarly Advisory Committee of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. More recently, as of January 2023 she was awarded the Gold Medal in the arts by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Victor Sarpong

Victor is a British-Ghanaian writer and poet from London. He is a member of Flow Fridays, a London-based collective of young poets of colour, who explore the sociopolitics of diaspora and metropolitan life. He has previously worked on projects with the Victoria & Albert Museum, South London Gallery, and Letters to The Earth. An alumnus of the Roundhouse Poetry Collective, he is currently working on his debut poetry pamphlet.

Yasser Claud-Ennin

Yasser Claud-Ennin is a Nigerian-Ghanaian multidisciplinary artist, based in London, United Kingdom. His work draws inspiration from his multicultural heritage, weaving together elements of various nationalities and cultures. His artistry primarily involves creating intricate paintings on antique and vintage traditional textile fabrics, reflecting the influence of his community’s traditional crafts.

Yasser’s journey into the world of contemporary art began with a deep appreciation for the traditional crafts and textiles of his community. As he explored new techniques and styles, his work evolved to explore themes of identity, culture, and spirituality. Through his art, Yasser invites viewers to reflect on their own experiences and relationships with the world.

His mission extends beyond aesthetics; Yasser believes in the transformative power of art to spark dialogue and bring about positive change. Today, he stands as one of West Africa’s most promising artists, with a growing list of exhibitions and collaborations across the region. His work can be found in both public and private collections.

Yasser holds a BA in Media, Communication, and Cultural Studies with Management from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, as well as an MA in International Marketing from Regents University, London.

ONLINE

Prints and Multiples

Opening the 20th and 21st century art season is our September series of Prints and Multiples auctions in London, featuring editions spanning the 19th century to today.

CHARITATIVE AUCTION

Blue: Art for the Ocean

Christie’s and Blue Marine Foundation unite in a charitable initiative offering works from more than 20 world leading artists to benefit the future of the ocean.

ART FAIR

1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair

This year’s London edition will host over 60 international exhibitors, representing 23 countries, with 21 newcomer galleries making their 1-54 London edition debuts.