His critics call him a talentless chancer, but the 23-year-old street artist from Lagos has found success through brand collaborations, Saatchi backing – and manifesting his goal of becoming the ‘biggest artist in the world’.
Before he was known in the art world, Slawn set a challenge to his Instagram fans. If they wanted one of his customised T-shirts, in demand among his Gen-Z fan base, they should go to the Saatchi Yates gallery in Mayfair and ask for “an original Slawn” work. If his followers showed him a video of themselves doing this, he’d give them a shirt for free. The Saatchi Yates gallerists had never heard of Slawn before. But after this stunt, they would remember his name.
Featuring in our Summer 2024 issue, Slawn brings his signature vibrant sketches to a pocket-sized canvas: a watch dial..
Solace in soil is an exploration of the bipartite connection of artists’ and their mediums of choice where both Maggie Otieno (Nairobi, Kenya) and Dr. Mohamed Yousif (Sharjah, United Arab Emirates) are presented together for the first time..
In a significant cultural event, the renowned Malian artist Abdoulaye Konaté is set to make his solo exhibition debut in the Middle East at Dubai’s Efie Gallery.
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Efie Gallery, the Dubai-based contemporary art gallery specialising in artists of African origin, announces its representation of the pioneering Malian artist Abdoulaye Konaté with an exhibition (10 October 2024 – 6 January 2025).
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Across 70 years, and more than 50,000 photographs, JK Bruce-Vanderpuije’s work tells the story of Ghana’s journey through a period of profound change, preserving the faces and events that defined an era
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With this calmness imbued with critical reading, curator Shamma Al Mheiri delved into her discussion about the exhibition ‘Solace in Soil’ by Emirati artist Dr. Mohamed Yousif and Kenyan sculptor Maggie Otieno, held at Efie Gallery in Dubai.….
Efie Gallery is honoured to announce ‘Solace in Soil’, a duo exhibition between renowned Emirati artist Dr. Mohamed Yousif (b. 1953) and Kenyan sculptor Maggie Otieno (b.1974), curated by Emirati curator Shamma Al Mheiri..
El Anatsui may be known best for his metallic tapestries made from bottle caps, but he is also a musician..
Efie Gallery’s typical audience is characterized by the broad diversity of Dubai” – equally comprised of returning locals and international visitors.
El Anatsui is a Ghanaian sculptor who has spent much of his artistic life in Nigeria..
Slawn’s paintings already hang in the world’s coolest collections, but with his latest family-first move, it looks like he’s mastered the art of living well too.
Ethiopian photographer Aida Muluneh is inspiring the next generation of visual storytellers.
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Running until May 27th at the Efiɛ Gallery in Dubai is “Elastic Visions,” a contemporary art exhibition curated by Faridah Folawiyo.