The world of art has transformed and Africa has not been left behind as its art is being gentrified. Art in Africa has shifted from a naïve perspective of a collection of artefacts. It can now be described as unique, old, provocative, attractive and with any other mind-blowing descriptive words. African art is with stories, history and reflections. As contemporary art garners international attention, art shows and space are yet to be on the rise. The total sales in the global art market in 2017 stood at $63.7 billion. Africa together with Asia only accounted for less than 4 per cent of the total sales.
Figure 2art by Rosemary Karuga. image source: mutualart.com
90-year-old Rosemary Karuga was the first woman graduate in Makerere art school, she developed a distinctive style of art using collages of local materials. She also incorporated newspapers and magazines. Her work was exhibited with other leading artists on the continent. Despite having numerous successes African artists’ work is not exhibited with much enthusiasm as it is in other parts of the world. In addition, they also face challenges such as the lack of funds.
Africa artists face the scarcity of materials to aid in their work. Some artists have embraced diversity in their work making it unique. Moreover, they have embraced art in a bid to have a sustainable environment through upcycling of E-waste materials making way to African countries.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), 85 percent of electronic waste in Africa comes from domestic consumption. The problem remains a challenge as the number of used equipment from industrialized countries continues to stream in. E-waste contains hazardous substances: mercury and lead, endocrine and brominated flame retardants. These are released during disposal and dismantling activities. In turn, the health of the people involved in these operations is at risk.
Figure 3 e-waste in Agbogbloshie. image source: dailyguidenetwork.com
